China knows these viruses don't go away by themselves. They take measures to protect the people. They don't mind spending the money to protect its citizens.
27 March 2020
By Zaria Gorvett
A bus is disinfected using UVC in Shanghai, China
...There is also a third type:f (click here) UVC. This relatively obscure part of the spectrum consists of a shorter, more energetic wavelength of light. It is particularly good at destroying genetic material – whether in humans or viral particles. Luckily, most of us are unlikely to have ever encountered any. That’s because it’s filtered out by ozone in the atmosphere long before it reaches our fragile skin.
27 March 2020By Zaria Gorvett
A bus is disinfected using UVC in Shanghai, China
...There is also a third type:f (click here) UVC. This relatively obscure part of the spectrum consists of a shorter, more energetic wavelength of light. It is particularly good at destroying genetic material – whether in humans or viral particles. Luckily, most of us are unlikely to have ever encountered any. That’s because it’s filtered out by ozone in the atmosphere long before it reaches our fragile skin.
Or that was the case, at least, until scientists discovered that they could harness UVC to kill microorganisms. Since the finding in 1878, artificially produced UVC has become a staple method of sterilisation – one used in hospitals, airplanes, offices, and factories every day. Crucially, it’s also fundamental to the process of sanitising drinking water; some parasites are resistant to chemical disinfectants such as chlorine, so it provides a failsafe.
Though there hasn’t been any research looking at how UVC affects Covid-19 specifically, studies have shown that it can be used against other coronaviruses, such as Sars. The radiation warps the structure of their genetic material and prevents the viral particles from making more copies of themselves.
As a result, a concentrated form of UVC is now on the front line in the fight against Covid-19. In China, whole buses are being lit up by the ghostly blue light each night, while squat, UVC-emitting robots have been cleaning floors in hospitals. Banks have even been using the light to disinfect their money....
Known effects on SARS-CoV
Transfusion. 2006 Oct;46(10):1770-7.
Evaluation of inactivation methods for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus in noncellular blood products.
Darnell ME, Taylor DR.
...Viral inactivation by heat treatment (click here) at 60 degrees C required 15 to 30 minutes to inactivate the SARS-CoV. UVC efficiently inactivated SARS-CoV in 40 minutes, whereas UVA required the addition of psoralen to enhance inactivation of the virus. The presence of bovine serum albumin limited the ability of UVC and UVA to inactivate SARS-CoV and octanoic acid treatment does not reduce the infectivity of SARS-CoV-spiked protein solutions. S/D treatment required 2, 4, and up to 24 hours for Triton X-100, Tween 80, and sodium cholate inactivation, respectively.
CONCLUSION: Heat, UVC irradiation, and S/D treatments effectively inactivate SARS-CoV, whereas octanoic acid treatment is insufficient for inactivation of the virus.
Known effects on SARS-CoV
Transfusion. 2006 Oct;46(10):1770-7.
Evaluation of inactivation methods for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus in noncellular blood products.
Darnell ME, Taylor DR.
CONCLUSION: Heat, UVC irradiation, and S/D treatments effectively inactivate SARS-CoV, whereas octanoic acid treatment is insufficient for inactivation of the virus.
