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Review
. 2020 Oct;27(29):36027-36036.
doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-09733-w. Epub 2020 Jun 26.

Environmental concern regarding the effect of humidity and temperature on 2019-nCoV survival: fact or fiction

Narges Nazari Harmooshi  1 , Kiarash Shirbandi  2 , Fakher Rahim  3   4
Affiliations
Review

Environmental concern regarding the effect of humidity and temperature on 2019-nCoV survival: fact or fiction

Narges Nazari Harmooshi et al. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2020 Oct.

Abstract

The new coronavirus, called 2019-nCoV, is a new type of virus that was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Environmental conditions necessary for survival and spread of 2019-nCoV are somewhat transparent but unlike animal coronaviruses. We are poorly aware of their survival in environment and precise factors of their transmission. Countries located in east and west of globe did not have a significant impact on prevalence of disease among communities, and on the other hand, north and south have provided a model for relative prediction of disease outbreaks. The 2019-nCoV can survive for up to 9 days at 25 °C, and if this temperature rises to 30 °C, its lifespan will be shorter. The 2019-nCoV is sensitive to humidity, and lifespan of viruses in 50% humidity is longer than that of 30%. Also, temperature and humidity are important factors influencing the COVID-19 mortality rate and may facilitate 2019-nCoV transmission. Thus, considering the available and recent evidence, it seems that low temperatures, as well as dry and unventilated air, may affect stability and transmissibility of 2019-nCoV.

Keywords: 2019-nCoV; COVID-19; Environmental factors; Humidity; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2); Temperature.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The importance of social distancing, close contact, particle size, percent of virus particle deposit in various regions of the upper airway, and the effect of humidity and temperature on the 2019-nCoV activity
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Virus resilience on various surfaces and materials. Research is still underway to understand the resilience of the 2019-nCoV
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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