AMSTERDAM — New research suggests cold temperatures and low humidity may make COVID-19 more infectious. According to the study in Public Health, colder climates could be why countries in higher latitudes have reported more cases of the coronavirus so far.

The study tracts the progression of COVID-19 since the initial outbreak in China's city of Wuhan and correlates the cases with monthly average environment temperature. The results show that the majority of countries with high infection cases are situated in high latitudes.

Cold environment may be an additional risk factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection, according to the paper's authors, Central University of Rajasthan's Chandi Mandal and M. S. Panwar of the Banaras Hindu University.

While the researchers cautioned further research is needed to prove the temperature-coronavirus link, they note that such a relationship would mean summer could reduce the number of COVID-19 infections.