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World J Virol. Mar 25, 2026; 15(1): 116492
Published online Mar 25, 2026. doi: 10.5501/wjv.v15.i1.116492
Published online Mar 25, 2026. doi: 10.5501/wjv.v15.i1.116492
Rethinking COVID-19 seasonality: A summer respiratory virus in the tropics, contrast to influenza
Prasan Kumar Panda, Internal Medicine (ID Division), All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh 249203, India
Rahul Garg, Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bibinagar 508126, India
Co-first authors: Prasan Kumar Panda and Rahul Garg.
Author contributions: Panda PK and Garg R designed, wrote, reviewed, and approved the manuscript, and they contributed equally to this manuscript as co-first authors.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Prasan Kumar Panda, Professor, Internal Medicine (ID Division), All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Room No. 409, College Block, Rishikesh 249203, India. motherprasanna@rediffmail.com
Received: November 13, 2025
Revised: December 8, 2025
Accepted: January 13, 2026
Published online: March 25, 2026
Processing time: 121 Days and 0.3 Hours
Revised: December 8, 2025
Accepted: January 13, 2026
Published online: March 25, 2026
Processing time: 121 Days and 0.3 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Coronavirus disease 2019 seasonality is not uniformly winter-driven but shaped by behavioural adaptation to climate and host. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 exhibits a seasonal pattern, being predominantly summer-predominant in tropical regions and winter-predominant in temperate ones, due to its virological resilience and broad host adaptability. Recognizing this behaviourally modulated seasonality is essential for designing climate- and region-specific surveillance, vaccination timing, and ventilation strategies.