A woman wears a mask on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - MAURO PIMENTEL / AFP

The seasons do not appear to have an impact on the development of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, warning of the illusion of being protected in summer.

"The season does not appear to have an impact on the transmission of the virus," which has claimed more than 650,000 lives worldwide and more than 16 million cases, said spokesperson for the organization, Margaret Harris, during 'a virtual briefing. She takes this as proof that among the most affected countries in the world, one, the United States, is in summer, and the other, Brazil, is going through winter.

An anomaly compared to previous viruses

“It seems that there is a persistent idea that the virus is seasonal (…) but we all have to keep in mind that it is a new virus, and even if it is a respiratory virus, which are historically seasonal, it behaves in a different way, ”she insisted.

Referring to the “belief” that the risk of infection is lower in summer, she repeated: “summer is a problem. This virus loves all seasons ”. She did, however, recognize that the conjunction of the flu virus - which is seasonal to her and strikes in winter - and the new coronavirus was a cause for concern and could increase the strain on health systems. “So we encourage everyone to get the flu shot,” she advised.

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