Why it’s easier to catch a cold, the flu or COVID in the winter

When bitter winds blew and temperatures dropped, my grandmother would urge me to come inside. “You’ll catch your death of cold out there,” she’d say.

Sure, freezing to death is possible in frigid temperatures. But doctors and other health experts have long stressed that being cold won’t give you a cold. Still, winter is undisputedly cold-and-flu season. It’s also a period when COVID-19 spreads more.

But if the chill doesn’t matter, why does the spread of so many respiratory viruses peak during the season?

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