There are an unknown number of Americans who have been or are infected with COVID-19 coronavirus, but experienced either mild or no symptoms. And, despite the flattening of the infection curve and the reopening of states’ economies across the country, it is important to remember that the virus has not gone away.
Additionally, many of the largest outbreaks have been in regions where the weather is cooler, leading to speculation that the disease might begin to tail off with the arrival of summer. However, health experts are uncertain that the spread of the coronavirus will diminish, or take a sabbatical like the seasonal influenza, with the arrival of the heat, humidity and sunlight of summer.
Sunlight contains three types of ultraviolet light — UVA, which tans and ages your skin, and can cause eye damage; UVB, which burns and also ages skin; and UVC is harmful and quite good at destroying genetic material.
There is no data on whether the UVA rays of the sun can inactivate this coronavirus. However, research on SARS, another coronavirus, found that exposing that virus to UVA light for 15 minutes did nothing to reduce its spread
In contrast, UVC light has proven to be more promising versus the coronavirus. This relatively obscure part of the spectrum consists of a shorter, more energetic wavelength of light. It is particularly good at destroying genetic material – whether in humans or viral particles. Fortunately, UVC is filtered out by ozone in the atmosphere long before it reaches a person’s fragile skin.
So, the takeaways are to stay safe, practice social physical distancing , wash your hands frequently and wear a face mask when out in public.
References:
- https://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/Seattle-Coronavirus-Assessment-Network?WT.mc_id=20200512100000_SCAN_BG-EM_&WT.tsrc=BGEM
- https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/04/17/836830157/coronavirus-faqs-can-sunlight-kill-the-virus-how-risky-is-an-elevator-ride
- https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200323-coronavirus-will-hot-weather-kill-covid-19