Virologists in Russia are convinced that the COVID-19 epidemic will sink into oblivion after the onset of summer, but the current state of affairs in Ecuador proves the opposite.
Many Russian virologists say that the disease, which is caused by SARS CoV-19 coronavirus will disappear with the onset of the warm season, as the virus dies or becomes non-infectious at temperatures around 20-25 degrees Celsius.
However, the situation in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, where temperature is now 25 degrees in the morning and 32 degrees in the afternoon, casts doubt on such an assumption.
The virus was brought to the country inside the "zero patient" from Spain in late February. A company of friends - about 30 people in total - welcomed the Ecuadorian back home, and they quickly spread the infection throughout the 17-million-strong country. On the Internet, one can find many pictures of dead bodies lying in the streets of Guayaquil.
Since February, the number of infections in the country has been growing exponentially, and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says it will continue to grow during the coming weeks.
As of April 8, according to official numbers, as many as 4,450 cases of infection were registered in Ecuador, 242 people died, while 240 others died for reasons that could be related to Covid-19.
The real death toll is still unknown. An official responsible for the removal of corpses from Guayaquil said on April 1 that coronavirus may claim 3,500 lives in Guayas province alone (the region where Guayaquil is located).
Nikolai Govorin, deputy chairman of the State Duma Health Protection Committee, told Pravda. Ru that the virus is resistant to the influence of the external environment. According to the specialists, we still know very little about the virus, so one must take proven measures to curb the epidemic through quarantine and self-isolation.
Nikolai Govorin is sure that most people will develop immunity to this virus. Epidemiologists believe that this coronavirus may eventually turn into regular seasonal flu.
"I think that after the pandemic ends, very serious conclusions will be made in the world, and in Russia, about the structure of the effective health care system. One of the criteria, in my opinion, is the ability to mobilize ourselves in the face of such global challenges and act effectively, if many patients are coming. Russia has the historical experience of the Great Patriotic War, and the Russian sanitary-epidemiological service is in fact one of the best," concluded Nikolai Govorin.