Coronavirus can survive the high temperatures?

While many countries are trying to cope with the influx of patients infected CoVID-19, scientists around the world continue to study the new coronavirus. The reason for such close attention to SARS-CoV-2 is that there is still very little we know about him, gradually, however, new data appear. Recently, scientists from the Department of viral diseases at the University of AIX-Marseille in France found that strains of the virus SARS-CoV-2, calling CоVID-19 able to withstand temperatures of 60°C for one hour. Let me remind you that according to previous studies, the coronavirus has killed at 60°C after a few minutes. However, in order to kill the virus in the laboratory, the scientists had to heat it up to 92°C for 15 minutes. It should be noted that the study, published on the Preprint server bioRxiv, not yet published in a scientific journal and has not passed peer review. This means that these results should be treated with caution. However, in early April, a team of researchers from Hong Kong University got similar results. Their work is also not yet published. So is it possible to kill coronavirus using high temperatures?

How to kill coronavirus?

the new coronavirus is a major threat to life and health of inhabitants of our planet. Spread in the beginning of this year CoVID-19 has already infected more than two million people and claimed the lives of more than 130 thousand in different countries. In Russia, as in most other countries imposed isolation, and in the capital gradually began the introduction of access control. These measures are necessary to slow the spread of a new coronavirus and to reduce the burden on the healthcare system. The virus first appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where presumably there was the transfer from animal to human.

Let me Remind you that despite the recurring media speculation about an artificial origin of SARS-CoV-2, this version was refuted in scientific studies. Read more about it . It is believed that the new coronavirus could be transmitted to humans from bats or snakes, but discovered recently at pangolin viruses similar to SARS-CoV-2, do not exclude other zoonotic hypothesis. Studies on the origin CoVID-19 and the search for patient zero is continuing.

Meanwhile, French scientists decided to try to destroy strains of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. With the preliminary results . They wanted to find out what chemical and heat exposure kills the virus. Let me remind you that according to the world health organization (who) – which is the most reliable source of information to date, the coronavirus can survive up to three hours in the air from several hours to several days on different surfaces. To destroy the virus we split its lipid (fat) membrane by using wash hands thoroughly with soap and handling of alcoholic antiseptics.

never underestimate the danger to laboratory personnel working with CoVID-19

One of the primary tasks, which French researchers have set themselves is the risk that virus pose to laboratory staff who regularly come into contact with samples of the SARS-CoV-2. In the study, the team took the kidney cells of African green monkeys and infected them with a coronavirus. The researchers then created different conditions: «pure» representing laboratory conditions, and «dirty», which is more similar to conditions outside the laboratory walls. Then the experts conducted 10 different experiments, using different ways to destroy the virus, which included heating to high temperatures and chemicals.

Jeremy Rossman, a senior lecturer of Virology at the University of Kent, UK, who was not involved in the study that the obtained results are important for laboratory employees. If the results pass peer review, all specified in the recommendations on the treatment of samples of SARS-CoV-2 in the laboratory will be useful to scientists around the world.

But what are the results obtained by the researchers from Hong Kong? In the course of work the specialists of placed virus samples of known concentration to certain conditions, noted the time and measured for changes in the sample concentration of the virus. The results showed that at temperature +4°C the concentration of the virus decreased only 7.2% and at 22°C was dropped twice in a week. Thus heating to 37°C reduced this time to one day. With further increase in temperature the concentration of the virus was drastically reduced, so that after heating to 56°C the half-life of viral particles was 10 minutes and at 70°C the entire population of the virus died within five minutes.

In anotherthe experiment the researchers applied a drop of liquid with SARS-CoV-2 on different surfaces and noted the time during which the virus particles survive at room temperature and 65% humidity. It turned out that the ordinary and sanitary-hygienic paper, the concentration of the virus fell twice in 30 minutes, and three hours later the virus was nothing left. But on the tree, the virus was clearly feeling better – the half-life of coronavirus was 24 hours. The same results happened on the fabric, but what is not clear. As for the glass, the concentration of the pathogen was halved just two days later, the same situation was observed on the surfaces of banknotes. When applied to plastic, steel and the inner layer medical masks concentration of virus was reduced by 50% in four days.

the Results obtained by Chinese scientists has shown that a humidity of 65% and moderate temperatures reduce the infectiousness of the virus.

However, the most important data obtained scientists in the analysis of the level of infection in 100 Chinese cities. It turned out that higher temperatures and humidity levels, seem to significantly reduce the transmission CоVID-19. According to the researchers it corresponds to the ARVI and influenza, which in such conditions also significantly reduce the transmission of viral particles. But what all these data mean for us? Unfortunately, results of studies of the novel coronavirus suggests that this is a pretty resistant strain, as to temperatures, and its ability for a long time to survive on a variety of surfaces. However, the high temperatures (above 60°C) 5 to 15 minutes can really destroy the virus. The results of this work can be found on .

Nevertheless, The obtained preliminary results so far should be treated with caution and wait for expert assessment. Anyway CoVID-19 is not the only pathogen which has faced humanity, so a win in any case it will be for us. Unless, of course, we will follow a schedule of self-isolation. Be well.

Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is rapidly changing our lives. But how to kill it?