Sunlight, heat and humidity weaken coronavirus, researchers say

The coronavirus appears to weaken more quickly when exposed to sunlight, heat and humidity, a US official said on Thursday in a potential sign that the pandemic could become less contagious in summer months.
US government researchers have determined that the virus survives best indoors and in dry conditions, and loses potency when temperatures and humidity rise - and especially when it is exposed to sunlight, said William Bryan, acting head of the US Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate.
"The virus dies quickest in the presence of direct sunlight," he told a White House news briefing.
The findings could bolster hopes that the coronavirus will mimic the behavior of other respiratory diseases like influenza, which typically are less contagious in warm weather.
But the coronavirus has also proven lethal in warm-weather places like...