Mayo Clinic Minute: Why do people get sick with viruses in the winter?

Respiratory viruses like COVID-19 and influenza surge in the colder months. And it’s not just because people are spending more time indoors. Dr. Matthew Binnicker, director of the Clinical Microbiology Molecular Lab and co-director of the Clinical Virology Lab at Mayo Clinic, explains what other factors promote virus spread in the winter.

It is true that people are more likely to get sick in the winter.

Dr. Matthew Binnicker says another factor is humidity.

But, in the winter, when the air is drier, those droplets that may contain a virus can hang in the air for longer periods of time.

It also turns out that a person’s immunity is not functioning as well in the winter months.
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