The time of survival and the conditions affecting the 2019-nCoV viability in the environment are currently unknown. According to studies assessing the environmental stability of other coronaviruses, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is estimated to survive several days in the environment and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV) more than 48 hours at an average room temperature (20°C) on different surfaces. That room temperature is that of Europe or North America. Room temperature in sub-Sahara Africa is comparatively higher. It remains to be seen how the virus thrives under some very harsh climatic conditions.

The time of survival and the conditions affecting the 2019-nCoV viability in the environment are currently unknown. According to studies assessing the environmental stability of other coronaviruses, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is estimated to survive several days in the environment and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV) more than 48 hours at an average room temperature (20°C) on different surfaces. That room temperature is that of Europe or North America. Room temperature in sub-Sahara Africa is comparatively higher. It remains to be seen how the virus thrives under some very harsh climatic conditions.

@Maurice thanks. But in any case why not body temperature (37C) enough deterrent?

Dear:

I think up to date, there is no enough information about the effect of the temperature on coronavirus because this type of virus is new, but logically a high temperature can kill this virus.

Preprint High Temperature and High Humidity Reduce the Transmission of COVID-19 March 2020 Jingyuan WangJingyuan WangKe TangKai FengWeifeng Lv

This paper investigates how air temperature and humidity influence the transmission of COVID-19. After estimating the serial interval of COVID-19 from 105 pairs of the virus carrier and the infected, we calculate the daily effective reproductive number, R, for each of all 100 Chinese cities with more than 40 cases. Using the average R from January 21 to 23, 2020 as a proxy of non-intervened transmission intensity, we find, under a linear regression framework for 100 Chinese cities, high temperature and high relative humidity reduce the transmission of COVID-19 with a significance level of 1% and 5%, respectively, even after controlling for population density and GDP per capita of cities. One degree Celsius increase in temperature and one percent increase in relative humidity lower R by 0.0266 and 0.0106, respectively. This result is consistent with the fact that the high temperature and high humidity significantly reduce the transmission of influenza. It indicates that the arrival of summer and rainy season in the northern hemisphere can effectively reduce the transmission of the COVID-19.

There is no limit for temperature scale as far as 200 cases reported from country with temperature around 35 C

Dear Sir,

Definitely higher temperature will decrease corona virus spread to certain degree or certainly in severity of the cases of the disease, but for this to happen there is need to have indoor air temperature excess of 30-32 degree Celsius. so that the life span of the virus becomes less. If you see the temperature around the glob today (13th march) through the link " https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/ ". here you will find that non of the city has maximum temperature in excess of 40, it means the indoor temperature is far less than 25-28 degree Celsius. I agree with Maurice Ekpenyong sir that " It remains to be seen how the virus thrives under some very harsh climatic conditions." Though its too early to say, but, in Rajasthan, although the Corona virus infected persons are in excess of 650, but the casualty is only 3 till date. Western Rajasthan is experiencing temperature excess of 38 degree Celcius. Barmer have more than 41. The study of Rajasthan will provide fair indication about spread of corona as pretty soon the temperature in whole of Rajasthan will touch 42 degree Celsius+ in next 10 days or so.

Further, yes the virus survive in body at 37 celcius but in summer the outdoor surface temperature will be more than 50 in some cases, and corona virus will find difficult to survive outdoor hence less spread. The increased Indoor temperature can also decrease the virus life. Mechanically conditioning spaces to low temperature may increase corona cases. Thank You sir.

We are planning smart device to kill Corona. We r in need to find the temperature that could fry Corona. The following are found from the recent search, although those contradict with WHO's informarion:

1. New study says 'high temperature and high relative humidity significantly reduce' spread of COVID-19

By Mark Puleo, AccuWeather staff writer

Published Mar. 18, 2020 3:30 PM | Updated Mar. 21, 2020 11:19 AM

2. In cold environments, there is longer virus survival than warm ones,” Hong Kong University pathology professor John Nicholls told AccuWeather exclusively

Higher temperatures affect survival of new coronavirus, pathologist says

By John Roach, AccuWeather staff writer, Published Mar. 13, 2020 1:24 PM | Updated Apr. 15, 2020 11:17 AM

I think the answer to the original question can be found in recent work reg virus survival with different temperatures

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.11.036855v1.full.pdf

What is the maximum survival temperature of COVID-19 in body

I think the new virus, causing Covid 19, can survive up to a temperature of 60 degree celcious in the environment. This a serious problem.

As per the spatial observations of infected cases , there is a inverse relationship between corona virus spreading and weather elements (temperature and humidity). Still we are not confirm about the exact level of temperature or percentage of humidity but we observe that more than 32 degree Celsius and low rate of humidity (presence of water vapor in the environment) are major controlling factors for corona spreading. @

At this point, one can only speculate as even with the rising temperature, the Covid19 infection is going up unabated.

Another important factor may be Humidity in the environment.

What about UV light?

The disease spreads about 50% slower at 25 degrees Celsius than at 5 degrees Celsius:

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.26.20044529v3

Alessio Notari you seem to have drawn indirect inference from data. I was wondering if somebody has studies the virus activity in the lab under different temperature conditions?

Excellent question. I don't know if anybody did it, probably not yet. There are papers on SARS, though, a few years ago.

However the two things are not necessarily the same. Temperature dependence of the disease spread might be due to better functioning of the immune defences at higher temperature, for instance.

The authors of article state total deactivation of the virus at 92 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes:

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.11.036855v1.full.pdf

Alessio Notari I read your paper on the arxiv with interest. I think what you have not bothered is the temperature of the environment of virus is always close to 37C irrespective of geographical location. Therefore I dont think your correlating the exponent of the exponential rise to the location temperature is so very well acceptable. Yes, it limits due to extra spreading if the virus stays on surfaces etc. If you like (since you have the data) we can work together to first find what fraction of the disease is spread from close contact - almost person to person and what is remaining component which infects after the close contact i.e. from surfaces and hanging droplets in the atmosphere for over 10 minutes. It is these factors which are subject to local temperature conditions, not the direct ones and the infection rate from that must be identical for all locations.

Jonahan, I placed the link to this paper in this thread on April 18 (please see below). It means no news since then on this topic.

Very interesting discussion topic by Vijay K Jindal as meself wondering at what temperature this covid 19 deactivated or die. My concern is on the topic in which prevention action should be taken especially on the garment in which if it exposed to the covid 19 (probably the garment worn by the health workers). Proper sterilisation and sanitisation should be applied on their fabric. The right temperature during the laundry should be done on top of the soap and other chemical they should use. Unless, the temperature at which Covid 19 could deactivated is known, then we might advise the best practice for the health workers as well as the civilian to work on their garment sterilisation. What say you guys?

At a temperature of 56 °C (132.8 °F), 30 minutes are required to effectively inactivate the virus.

Harasit Kumar Paul Could you provide the paper or any reference related to your statement

Please take a look at this useful RG link.

Preprint Effects of temperature on COVID-19 transmission

As it stands, scientists do not know how temperature changes will influence the behavior of SARS-CoV-2.

Dear Naisini Ariram, please have a look at the following link (Only abstract is there).

Preprint Effects of temperature on COVID-19 transmission

Actually looking at global data one finds no role of highs or lows of temperature on this disease. In my opinion, it is not because the virus will not "die" at high temperatures close to 50 C, but it is because the virus is transmitted quickly from one person to another and the temperature that it faces is anything between 36-40C . The virus remains at body temperature therefore there is no role of climatic/ environmental temperature on the mortality or disease due to virus.

More details are given in my recent paper uploaded on the gate.

Preprint COVID-19 Primary and secondary infection as order parameter ...

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how about humidity?? does the higher humidity makes the virus inactive ??

Neither temperature nor humidity affect the virus as long as it is picked up by close contact from humans. If the virus stays on surfaces and faces environmental conditions and then infects we can talk about the role of temperature or humidity. If t stays in its protective human body it seems we can do nothing to change humidity or temperature. One way could be inhale steam often and then judge if the virus gets affects . Similarly that will also check humidity effect. Otherwise hot or cold dry air or oxygen can be tried.

I disagree with Dr Jindal. The environmental conditions affect the virus when it is in air ( droplets or aerosol) or sticks to surfaces. The temperature will definitely affect the survival of Covid-19 if it is sticked on to a bench in park or indoors.

As regards RH ( in response to Ms Naisini Ariram), many publications have highlighted that High Humidity is likely to reduce Covid-19 transmission. However, We did not find such relationship. Further, humidity differs in different rooms of a house also, therefore I am personally of the opinion that RH does not play significant role in transmission of Covid19

Ramesh C Dhiman please read what I said. Temperature would affect the virus if it stays in environment. But in COVID-19 disease it just passes on quickly from one person to another and facing environmental temperature very briefly. Therefore COVID-19 does not show any deterioration globally - the cases are shwing a scatter behaviour under temperature from -15 to 45 C

The virus has to and stays in environment on different surfaces for a longer time.

Ramesh C Dhiman my basic statement has been that the virus survives 36-40C range as that is the temperature of a human body is, even under fever. Outside that range the mortality data shows all kinds of data whether T is -15 or +45 C.

Yes you test in lab the deactivation of the virus - I have no issues with that. The data does not show any preference. Data is always right.

The COVID 19 novel coronavirus is known to be sensitive to sunlight, high temperature and humidity. Sunlight affects its ability to grow, while heat/high temperature deactivates it by affecting its behavior. It survives in human body at 37 degree Celsius. They are heat labile and are deactivated when subjected to heat but the exact threshold temperature to deactivate COVID 19 is still unknown. It is reported that the virus on smooth surfaces retained its viability for 5 days at temperature of 22-25 degrees Celsius and virus viability was rapidly lost at temperature greater than 38 degree Celsius.

I recently used dry heat from 56 ° C to 70 ° C with RH

Can any virologist explain the temperature and duration at which Covid 19 get inactivated with proof ? Any experimets till yet?

The nCovid-19 virus is sensitive to heat and can be effectively inactivated when it reaches a temperature of 56℃ for 30 minutes. You may find some relevant information from below link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341452264_Capture-Detection_GeneMedi's_SARS-CoV-2_NP_Antibody_Pair_And_Stability_Validation_In_Sandwich_ELISA

In that case , respected Sir , can steam inhalation be useful if used for prolonged time before it enters lower respiratory tract.

Any type of virus can not resist hot and dry air of 70 ° C and less than 8% relative humidity for five minutes, because a virus is a composition of proteins and fats fragile to hot air. And from there, I think the most effective and safest method to kill this one is that uses hot, dry air.

Heat alone won't be very effective, but if you add humidity and mostly UV light, it dies fast. According the NBACC, T>25°C + RH>20% + UVB/UVC and it's gone in 1.5' in aerosol and 2' on non porous surfaces. This was announced by the DHS in that famous press conference that got Trump his Nobel in Medicine: https://youtu.be/3XqkU8yJOmc, but you'll find many studies on UV+T, like: https://academic.oup.com/jid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/infdis/jiaa274/5841129 or Research Low level UVB Indoors can Decimate Covid-19

depends on the substratum