Sars-Cov-2 does not like the sun, conclude two recently published scientific studies.
A first study, conducted by researchers at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) and published last Monday, suggests that sunlight has a protective effect against the Sars-Cov-2 coronavirus, reports Futura sciences. The authors observed lower mortality in areas with increased sun exposure.
After comparing mortality figures to UV levels in nearly 2,500 counties in the United States between January and April 2020, the Scottish authors estimate that UVA in particular, which makes up 95% of the sun’s ultraviolet light, could help to limit the number of deaths due to Covid-19.
No link with vitamin D
The protection generated by sunlight would not be due to vitamin D, they argue, since their study focused on areas with insufficient UVB levels to produce vitamin D significantly in the body.
The authors favor another hypothesis: exposure to the sun causes a release of nitric oxide – nitrogen monoxide (NO) – through the skin. Laboratory studies have already shown that this element can reduce the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to replicate.
A hypothesis that can also be related to the fact that increased exposure to the sun is linked to better cardiovascular health, lowering blood pressure. This is not insignificant data, when we know that heart disease is an established co-morbidity factor for Covid-19.
Sunlight “deactivates” the virus
The hypothesis of the Scottish researchers is in any case supported by a second study, conducted at the University of California. This latest research reports a particularly effective deactivation of the coronavirus by sunlight. According to its authors, exposure to the sun made it possible, in practice, to deactivate the coronavirus responsible for Covid-19 eight times faster than the models predicted. The American researchers joined by English colleagues from Manchester and Swiss from Zurich invite to reconsider the protective effect of the sun.
Perhaps thanks to a still unidentified action of UVA, precisely mentioned by their Scottish colleagues …
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