Italian scientists discover effective method for destroying coronavirus

Ultraviolet radiation quickly and effectively destroys coronavirus and therefore, can be actively used in the fight against COVID-19, said immunologist, professor at Milan State University Mario Clerici, who led the study of Italian scientists on this issue.

He said that during the study, the virus was placed in droplets of water at low, high, and very high concentrations and then exposed to various doses of sunlight in the short wavelength range – ultraviolet C (UV-C).

"As a result, it turned out that exposure to UV radiation, even in small doses, literally within a few seconds can lead to inactivation of the virus," Clerici said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

The scientist recalled that UV-C is wholly absorbed when the sun's rays pass through the Earth's atmosphere. Therefore, the Milanese immunologists set up their next experiment with long-wave (UV-A) and medium-wavelength (UV-B) ultraviolet light. With that part of the solar radiation that reaches the Earth's surface.

"The result was the same: the minimum dose of solar radiation in a matter of seconds destroyed the coronavirus in water droplets by almost 100%," the scientist said.

According to him, this means that the sun's rays, penetrating into the Earth's atmosphere in summer, can almost completely kill the virus contained in droplets of saliva that occur when coughing or talking to an infected person.

The professor added that this explains the current decrease in the incidence of COVID-19 in Europe and most countries located in the Northern Hemisphere. Whereas in the Southern Hemisphere, where winter is now and less active solar radiation, there is a real peak of infection.

According to Klerichi, specialists from the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics conducted a corresponding analysis from January 15 to the end of May of this year and confirmed that the more sunlight reached the Earth's surface, the higher the level of UV radiation, the fewer cases of coronavirus infection were recorded.

Earlier, on July 16, the head of the Russian Ministry of Health Mikhail Murashko announced that the coronavirus vaccine's first registration would take place in the second decade of August.