Why This Sizzling Heat Wave Is Sparking More Virus Fears

ABOVE:  Accuweather Meteorologist Mark Mancuso appeared on the Tuesday edition of CBN Newswatch to talk more about the heat advisories and what to expect in the coming days. Newswatch is seen weekdays on the CBN News Channel.

Sizzling temperatures are endangering residents along the entire East Coast with extreme triple-digit heat indexes from Maine to Florida. In some locations, it feels as hot as 110 degrees today!

Not only does this level of heat cause dangerous health conditions like dehydration and heat stroke, but some scientists say it could also cause the novel coronavirus to spread even more.

Temperatures are higher than normal for this time of year with the heat index already topping 100-degrees in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

It's hit cities like Philadelphia hard. "The game plan today was to start out early so we could beat some of the heat, which we really didn't, cause it's still hot already," said one resident in the "City of Brotherly Love".

The severe temperatures will continue in the region into the week and the Southwest will also feel extreme heat with temperatures also reaching triple digits.

The heatwave that's gripping parts of the country is sparking concern that air conditioning systems could help the virus spread. 

Dr. Donald Milton, a University of Maryland aerobiologist, explained, "If it's blowing the virus in a specific pattern, and you're downwind of somebody indoors, then it could blow it farther than six feet."

With temperatures across the country skyrocketing, infectious disease doctors say open doors and windows and run the fan mode for a few hours before and after visitors. 

Experts also urging people to replace existing air conditioning filters with a compatible one that removes the most particles and the smallest particles, like the MERV-13 standard.

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