Peak Indian summer can curb virus

Washington: Sunlight, heat and humidity can create conditions that are less favourable for the spread of coronavirus, a public health official of the Trump Administration has said.

The results of a just concluded scientific study conducted by the Science and Technology Directorate of the US Department of Homeland Security, announced during a White House news conference on coronavirus, could be good news for India in its fight against COVID-19.

"Coronavirus dies at a much more rapid pace when exposed to sunlight and humidity. The virus dies the quickest in direct sunlight.

Isopropyl alcohol will kill the virus in 30 seconds," Bill Bryan, the Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Science and Technology told White House reporters in the presence of President Donald Trump.

"Our most striking observation to date is the powerful affect that solar light appears to have on killing the virus both surfaces and in the air.

We have seen in a similar effect with both temperature and humidity as well where increasing the temperature and humidity or both is generally less favourable to the virus,' Bryan said.

The deadly coronavirus which has so far killed more than 188,000 people globally and infected 2.6 million, "is dying at a much more rapid pace just from exposure to higher temperatures and just from exposure to humidity,' he said referring to the study.

"We know that summer-like conditions are going to create an environment where the transmission can be decreased. And that's an opportunity for us to get ahead," Bryan said.