Switching off the air-conditioner and opening doors and windows to get fresh air circulating could reduce the chances of people getting infected with the new coronavirus, experts say.
According to Straits Times, earlier studies have revealed that viruses thrive better when the climate is cool and dry, which means tropical countries like Malaysia have a less conducive environment for viruses like the 2019-nCov.
Singapore’s Ministry of Health’s (MOH) chief health scientist, Professor Tan Chorh Chuan said that the likelihood of viral persistence outdoors is lower, noting how much air-conditioning is utilised in Singapore.
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“Most of the studies indicate they don’t persist well in hot, humid environments,” he said.
“Hot and humid meaning over 30 degrees celsius, and with humidity levels of over 80 per cent.”
“Air-conditioning is something that can’t be helped in Singapore, especially during the hot months,” Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, programme leader of infectious diseases at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Saw Swee Hock School, said.
“But enclosed spaces, where it is less humid and cooler, could help to spread respiratory diseases.”
Source: Today Online
Ultra-violet rays and heat from the sun could also kill the virus, Professor Wang Linfa, director for the programme in emerging infectious diseases at the Duke-NUS Medical School, said.
“If you can stay under the sun for a while, it would be good.”
“Vitamin D can also boost the immune system.”
Aren’t we lucky to be living in a hot and humid country? Although there are a few cases in Malaysia, at least we don’t have to worry about the virus spreading as quickly as it does in colder countries.
Also read: Experts Predict Wuhan Virus Will Disappear in May 2020 Due to Warm Summer Sun in China
