COVID-19 and sunlight: Impact on SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility, morbidity, and mortality
Sharun et al.,
COVID-19 and sunlight: Impact on SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility, morbidity, and mortality,
Annals of Medicine and Surgery, doi:10.1016/j.amsu.2021.102419 (Review)
Review of evidence for the benefits of sunlight exposure for COVID-19.
Sharun et al., 30 Jun 2021, peer-reviewed, 3 authors.
Contact:
sharunkhansk@gmail.com, kdhama@rediffmail.com.
Abstract: Annals of Medicine and Surgery 66 (2021) 102419
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Annals of Medicine and Surgery
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/amsu
Perspective
COVID-19 and sunlight: Impact on SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility, morbidity, and mortality
A R T I C L E I N F O
A B S T R A C T
Keywords
COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2
Therapeutics
Photodynamic therapy
Simulated sunlight
Photo-biomodulation
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has already affected millions of people worldwide. There are reports of
SARS-CoV-2 transmission as a consequence of environmental contamination. The SARS-CoV-2 laden infective
droplets can actively persist on the surface of different materials for several hours to days. Sunlight can affect the
stability of SARS-CoV-2 in these aerosols and thereby have an impact on the decay rate of the virus. Solar ra
diation might play an important role in inactivating SARS-CoV-2 that persists in different surfaces and the
environment. Among the different climatological factors, ultraviolet radiation was found to have an important
role in determining the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Although ultraviolet radiation C (UVC), UVB, UVA, visible light,
and infrared radiation possess germicidal properties, human CoVs including the recently emerged SARS-CoV-2
are inherently sensitive to UVC. However, the successful decontamination using other wavebands requires
higher dosages and longer administration times. Furthermore, studies have also identified association between
COVID-19 fatalities and the latitude. The intensity of sunlight is highest near the equator, and therefore pop
ulations in these regions with more regular exposure to sunlight are less susceptible to vitamin D deficiency. This
article has analyzed the potential impact of sunlight in reducing SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility, morbidity, and
mortality. It is evident that there exists an interesting link between sunlight exposure, latitude, and vitamin D
status with COVID-19 incidence, fatality and recovery rates that requires further investigation.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was
first reported from the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan, Hubei prov
ince, China [1]. It has now affected over 164 million people worldwide,
with nearly 3.5 million deaths reported globally as of May 18, 2021.
SARS-CoV-2 got rapidly spread across the world as a result of the effi
cient human-to-human transmission. However, the air travel further
facilitated the distribution of COVID-19 across international border at a
faster rate [2]. SARS-CoV-2 is the sixth coronavirus that can infect
human beings [1]. Among the previous coronaviruses (CoVs),
SARS-CoV-2 exhibited close genomic similarity with SARS-CoV [3].
High efforts are being made continuously to develop effective vac
cines, drugs and therapies to counter this pandemic disease that is
posing high global threats and challenges to humanity [4–6]. Photody
namic therapy, photo-biomodulation and light-based technologies have
been reported to effectively inactivate SARS-CoV-2 and aid in the
management and treatment of COVID-19 during this pandemic crisis
[7–11]. The present study aims to analyze the available literature to
evaluate the potential role of sunlight in reducing morbidity and mor
tality associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans. This article also
presents an overview of the potential impact of sunlight in reducing
SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility.
The ability of infectious particles containing..
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