Cold winter temperatures may accelerate spread of SARS-CoV-2 Researchers in China have warned that cold winter temperatures may accelerate the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and lead to new outbreaks of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The team’s review of studies assessing the factors that affect SARS-CoV-2 survival and transmission suggested that the virus can survive on the surfaces of cold-chain food items for more than three weeks. Writing in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, the team from Weifang Medical University said: “We believe that the low-temperature environment in winter may accelerate the spread of the outbreak and that new outbreaks may occur.”