Susceptibility of SARS-CoV-2 to UV irradiation

Editor's Note

In this study from Germany, researchers found that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is highly susceptible to irradiation with ultraviolet (UV) light.

High viral loads (5x10⁶TCID₅₀/mL) were inactivated in 9 minutes with UVC (254 nm) irradiation. The UVC dose required for complete inactivation was 1,048 mJ/cm².

Exposure to UVA (365 nm) irradiation had only a weak effect on virus inactivation over 15 minutes.

The data show that SARS-CoV-2, even at high viral titers, can be inactivated rapidly by UVC irradiation, the researchers say. This method is reliable not only for disinfecting PPE including N95 facemasks in healthcare facilities but for preparing inactivated SARS-CoV-2 material for research.