If Coronavirus Thrive in Cold Noses, Then Keeping It Warm May Help

An unconventional view of facemasks.

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We often see the common cold and flu on the rise during the colder months. These respiratory viruses — coronavirus, rhinovirus, influenza virus, and respiratory syncytial virus — are classed as winter viruses that thrive in colder environments at around 33°C (91.4 °F) or lower.

Keep the nose warm, science recommends

As follows, winter viruses seem to replicate better in colder noses or airways. Why? A 2020 paper of Akiko Iwasaki, a professor of many titles at Yale University who has contributed immensely to the Covid-19 literature, published March 2020 in the Annual Review of Virology, explained three reasons:

1. The lipids of winter viruses — that form the viral envelope encasing its genes — are more stable and structurally rigid in the cold.
2. Breathing cold or dry air slows the clearance of mucous — that traps foreign particles like viruses and bacteria — in the airways.
3. The immune system in the nose and airways becomes less vigilant when cold, particularly the antiviral interferon responses. The immune system works best during a fever for good reasons, after all.

“It keeps my nose warmer…