"As of Tuesday, Iceland has among the world's highest rates of confirmed coronavirus cases per capita at 0.177 percent, with 648 cases from a population of 364,260. Australia’s confirmed infected rate is just 0.0083 percent – 2,044 cases from a population of 25.4 million people."
Research into the possible effects of heat, humidity and population density on the transmission of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has led some to consider that warmer weather during spring and summer in the Northern Hemisphere may lead to a decrease in the number of cases of COVID-19, the illness it causes, but there is a range of opinions on the matter in the infectious disease community.
The effect of the sun’s ultraviolet rays may play a larger role than even heat and humidity. As the probe into what role weather may play in the spread of COVID-19 continues, a data analysis may provide some new clues for what to expect in the United States as summer approaches. In particular, a look at the per capita infection rates of Iceland and Australia could offer a glimpse at UV’s possible impact on the spread of COVID-19 around the world.
As of Tuesday, Iceland has among the world's highest rates of confirmed coronavirus cases per capita at 0.177 percent, with 648 cases from a population of 364,260. Australia’s confirmed infected rate is just 0.0083 percent – 2,044 cases from a population of 25.4 million people.
That means Iceland’s infection rate is roughly 22 times greater than Australia’s, not factoring in other variables for either location. While heat and humidity could play a role in the disparity, a look at the impact of UV rays reveals it may be more substantial than the other two weather factors.www.accuweather.com/...
John Nicholls, a pathology professor at the University of Hong Kong who is part of a team studying a laboratory-grown copy of SARS-CoV-2. When contacted by AccuWeather this week, he said his team is investigating whether sunlight affects the virus causing COVID-19 the way it affects other viruses, like the flu.
The average temperature in Sydney, Australia, was 74.8 F from Jan. 1, 2020, until March 15, which was the summer season in the Southern Hemisphere. It was 32.1 F in Reykjavik, Iceland, during the same time period, which was winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
The role sunlight plays in destroying viruses has already been noted by John Nicholls, a pathology professor at the University of Hong Kong who is part of a team studying a laboratory-grown copy of SARS-CoV-2. When contacted by AccuWeather this week, he said his team is investigating whether sunlight affects the virus causing COVID-19 the way it affects other viruses, like the flu.“The variability of sunshine from December to June is roughly 25 to 1,” said AccuWeather Founder and CEO Dr. Joel N. Myers. “I suspect if there’s anything to these numbers regarding the possible impact of UV on COVID-19, then comparing Australia to Iceland shows the effect of the ultraviolet radiation. And in the Northern Hemisphere, the ultraviolet waves from the sun are increasing dramatically day by day as we go through spring.”
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"Until there's scientific data, we may never know given all of the extreme public health measures that are in place and undoubtedly slowing the spread. The analysis of UV’s role does not rule out other factors that may be affecting the COVID-19 per capita rates."