What experts say: The sun’s UV light cannot kill the coronavirus, and concentrated UV light should not be used to kill the virus
The claim holds little truth. Experts advised against using concentrated UV light to prevent or treat the coronavirus and do not recommend going in the sunlight to kill the virus. Only levels of UV light much higher than what is in sunlight can kill viruses, experts said, and the levels that kill viruses can cause irritation to human skin and should be avoided.
Pokrath Hansasuta, assistant professor of virology at Chulalongkorn University,
explained what happens to AFP Fact Check. “Ultraviolet is able to kill COVID-19 if it is exposed to the concentrated UV ray in a certain amount of time and distance,” she said. “However, that level of UV exposure is harmful to human’s skin. Most likely, it will be in the light bulb or lamp as the natural UV from the sun is not strong enough to kill it.
Neither sunlight nor UV light is listed as a preventive measure on the websites of the WHO or the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is some evidence to suggest the spread of the virus may slow down as the weather gets warmer. That may lead some to incorrectly suggest sunlight as a tip to stay healthy.
Time magazine reported on new research that has not yet been peer-reviewed that suggested the possibility of a connection between heat and the rate of the spread of the coronavirus, but experts concluded the research is still early and not definitive.
Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases,
said in an NPR interview in February that it's unclear how the coronavirus will react to heat or sunlight.
"I think it's premature to assume that," Messonnier said. "We haven't been through even a single year with this pathogen."
Our ruling: False
Friedman referred to sunlight as “virus destroying sunlight.” This is FALSE. There is no evidence proving sunlight kills the coronavirus. Only highly concentrated UV rays are reported to kill viruses, and the World Health Organization advises against using UV rays because they can damage skin.