What temperature will kill the corona virus?

Studies have shown that heat can kill many viruses, including the corona virus family to which Covid-19 is a member. But exactly how hot is it for this to happen?

The effect of temperature on corona virus is a hotly debated topic. Many believe that the heat will have a significant impact on Covid-19 infection, but it is not so simple.

Studies have shown that heat can kill many viruses, including the corona virus family to which Covid-19 is a member. But exactly how hot is it for this to happen?

Heat can kill many viruses, including the corona virus family to which Covid-19 is a member.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "a temperature of 56 ° C will kill the SARS virus at about 10,000 units every 15 minutes". SARS viruses work similarly to Covid-19, leading experts to believe that the new corona virus will have the same fate at that temperature.

How exactly does this happen? The heat is thought to affect corona virus in part because it is a virus with a double lipid crust . According to the BBC, "research on other types of virus has shown that this oily coat makes the virus more sensitive to heat than those without."

However, because outdoor temperatures rarely reach close to 56 ^° C, experts do not believe that the hot weather will have any significant impact on the new corona virus. " Although we can expect a modest reduction in SARS-CoV-2 transmission when it is hotter and wetter, it is unreasonable to expect this mere decline to slow the transmission enough to created a "big dent" , said Dr. Marc Lipsitch, director of the Center for Infectious Kinetics at the TH Chan Harvard School of Public Health.

Therefore, do not assume that the hot summer heat will automatically destroy corona virus , you can use heat to destroy Covid-19 in other ways. For example, if you cook food to 56 ^° C or higher, heat will be able to remove traces of corona virus on food, according to Dr. Christine Traxler, of Invigor Medical.

Similarly, "if you wash and dry at high temperatures for an hour, the virus may be dead , " Traxler said.

In addition, boiled water may be effective against corona virus. Water boils at 100 ° C and the final rinsing cycle of a dishwasher is usually around 71.1 ° C, making it the perfect place to disinfect everything from baby toys to dishwashing pads.

So, while boiling water or the temperature in a dishwasher or dryer can help fight corona viruses, summer temperatures may not have the same effect.