Good News! Brighter Days for Us = Darker Days for SARS-CoV-2

SARS-CoV-2 and other RNA viruses do not do well with UV exposure, and that’s good news for us in the Northeastern US. As our days get brighter, SARS-CoV-2 will become less prevalent. So maintain all of your precautions — wear your masks, wash your hands, and watch your distance — and look forward to the brighter days of late spring and summer.

Hang on. And have hope.

Sunlight ultraviolet radiation dose is negatively correlated with the percent positive of SARS-CoV-2 and four other common human coronaviruses in the U.S.

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Abstract

Human coronaviruses are RNA viruses that are sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Sunlight contains UVA (320–400 nm), UVB (260–320 nm) and UVC (200–260 nm) action spectra. UVC can inactivate coronaviruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The incidence and mortality of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are considered to be correlated with vitamin D levels. Vitamin D synthesis in human skin is closely related to exposure to UVB radiation. Therefore, the incidence and mortality of COVID-19 are also considered to be correlated with Vitamin D levels. In this study, Spearman and Kendall rank correlation analysis tests were used to analyze the correlation between the average percent positive of five human coronaviruses (SARS-CoV-2, CoVHKU1, CoVNL63, CoVOC43, and CoV229E) in the U.S. and the corresponding sunlight UV radiation dose. The results indicated that the monthly average percent positive of four common coronaviruses was significantly negatively correlated with the sunlight UV radiation dose. The weekly percent positive of SARS-CoV-2 during April 17, 2020 to July 10, 2020 showed a significant negative correlation with the sunlight UV radiation dose in census regions 1 and 2 of the U.S. while no statistical significance in the other regions. Additionally, sunlight UV radiation also showed some negative effects with respect to the early SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

Source:  Science of the Total Environment, Volume 751, 10 January 2021, 141816

 

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