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FRIDAY, April 10, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Ambient temperature and ultraviolet (UV) radiation are not associated with the cumulative incidence rate or basic reproduction number (R0<\/sub>) of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), according to a research letter published online April 8 in the European Respiratory Journal<\/i>.<\/p>\n Ye Yao, Ph.D., from Fudan University in Shanghai, and colleagues examined the association between meteorological factors and COVID-19 transmission in Chinese cities. R0<\/sub> was calculated for 62 cities with more than 50 cases as of Feb. 10, 2020. R was used to assess the associations of meteorological factors, including temperature, relative humidity, and UV radiation, with the ability of COVID-19 to spread.<\/p>\n The researchers found that temperature was not significantly associated with the cumulative incidence rate or R0<\/sub> in cities outside and inside Hubei Province after adjustment for relative humidity and UV, which indicated that the spread ability of COVID-19 would not change with increasing temperature. Similarly, after adjustment for temperature and relative humidity, there was no association for UV with cumulative incidence rate and R0<\/sub>, indicating no change in the spread ability of COVID-19 with increasing UV exposure. No significant associations were seen for relative humidity, maximum temperature, or minimum temperature with the cumulative incidence rate or R0<\/sub> of COVID-19.<\/p>\n “Our study does not support the hypothesis that high temperature and UV radiation can reduce the transmission of COVID-19,” the authors write. “It might be premature to count on warmer weather to control COVID-19.”<\/p>\n