The rapid increase in covid-19 across Florida, Texas, Arizona and the rest of the south suggests more than person-to-person transmission may be behind the rapid increase in covid-19 cases. Legionnaire’s disease and chlamydia psittacosis are known to be capable of transmission through air conditioning systems. One study in China showed those seated at a restaurant and downwind of the air conditioning vent contracted the virus from a group of people at another table.
Could the summer heat in the south and the central air conditioning prevalent in crowded indoor spaces, such as bars, restaurants, gyms, etc., be a factor in the explosive spread of covid-19 across the south? No doubt super-spreader events do occur and mask wearing protects people. However, we may be overlooking another way to slow the spread of the virus—improved air conditioning systems and better filtration in air conditioning systems in public buildings and spaces.