Is the current rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations really the result of people moving indoors to enjoy air conditioning?
Experts and journalists often make this assumption when they’re quoted in the media about the virus’s small summer "waves” or "surges” (which, this year, is really more like a small uptick). Similarly, when there’s a winter surge, it’s usually attributed to people flocking inside to escape the cold.
But whether it’s summer or winter, the explanation falls flat. Because regardless of the season, humans are generally an indoor species. And the virus is still evolving new ways to get around our immunity, most recently spinning off a new omicron subvariant called EG.5.
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