It has been months since the start of the crisis, but until now, there are still a lot of questions unanswered about COVID-19 as scientists and organizations are doing everything they can to provide a cure and vaccine to the deadly illness. The public is still at a loss of knowing which information is accurate or not.

Here two frequently asked questions about COVID-19:

Can heat from the sun kill coronavirus?

There are people using UV light to kill the virus. However, The World Health Organization has been telling the public to refrain from using UV light to kill the novel coronavirus.

According to the World Health Organization, people should not use UV lamps to sterilize their hands or any other areas of the skin. They said that UV radiation could cause irritations on one's skin.

There is some information that suggests as the weather gets warmer, the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 slows down. This may have led people to believe that sunlight helps kill the virus, says an article.

Sunlight can be used as a disinfectant for other pathogens. The World Health Organization advises the public to sterilize water by placing water in plastic containers and placing them under direct sunlight for 5 hours under specific conditions.

According to a virologist at Emory University named Juan Leon, no data are suggesting that the UVA rays of the sun cannot kill the novel coronavirus. However, some experts believe that UVC light can help fight COVID-19.

But still, the websites of WHO or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) do not contain any statement saying that sunlight and UV light can be used as a preventive measure against COVID-19.

Check these out:


Will I get infected if I step in an elevator with a COVID-19 patient?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are current data suggesting that the primary mode of SARS-CoV-2 transmission is through respiratory droplets originating from an infected person. A person contracts the virus if it lands on the nose, eyes, or mouths of people. Those who are near an infected person tend to contract the virus by inhaling it. There are also data suggesting that people can be infected through touching contaminated surfaces.

According to the CDC, the airborne transmission of the novel coronavirus from one person to another over long distances is less likely to occur.

Lindsey Marr, an aerosol scientist from Virginia Tech, believes that the virus is also being transmitted through inhaling the virus in the air.

Marr expressed her concern about people in elevators and other confined spaces with a COVID-19 patient. A lot of elevators do not have mechanical ventilation, she adds.

The respiratory particles fall quickly to the ground after a sneeze or a cough. They head directly to the ground due to gravity, says an infectious diseases expert at Columbia University Doctor Daniel Griffin. He suggests preventing touching any surfaces in the elevator and observe social distancing guidelines to lessen the chances of getting the virus from an infected person.