Coronavirus and Sunshine

Why have some states done so much better in combatting the coronavirus, and others so much worse? The answer is complicated but one of the reasons would seem to be sunshine. The actual figures show that states in the so-called sunshine belt have had far better results than states in the northern part of the country.

In high sunshine states from Florida across the southern border to California, the results have been markedly better. The national average of deaths per million is 258. As of May 14 heavily populated Florida has had only 1829 deaths or 85 deaths per million. California, the most populous state, has had only 2966 deaths, or 75 per million even though their cities are among the most heavily populated in the country. Among the large states Texas leads the pack with only 1217 deaths, a phenomenal rate of 42 deaths per million. *

On the other hand, northern states like New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut have the worst record by far. New York’s 27290 deaths amount to 1403 deaths per million, more than five times the National average of 238, even though its figures make up part of the National average. New Jersey comes in second with 9727 deaths and a death rate of 1095 per million. Tiny Connecticut’s 3125 deaths put it in third place with a death rate of 877 per million residents. Is it a coincidence that Connecticut’s Governor has just fired his health Director?

The disparities in these numbers would seem to indicate that human efforts to control the virus are not as significant a factor as nature. When I started writing about the virus two months ago, I consulted my brother, a biologist and teacher, who from the outset argued that as the days grew longer in the Spring, the increased sunshine would replenish the amount of Vitamin D in our bodies, and build up the ability of our immune system to combat its effects.

Here are his latest thoughts on the subject:

When I was in college, I don't remember ever having any course where viruses where seriously taught. I learned more about them as they became part of my AP Biology curriculum, but even then I was just scratching the surface as so much more has been learned about them since the advent of HIV and AIDS. I recently read an article from about 2018 in a Harvard publication which claimed that Vitamin D is more effective that the vaccines currently used against the flu. It seems that not only does Vitamin D lessen the severity of the flu but can actually limit the number of viruses infecting cells to a point where a person will be asymptomatic. Many people claim they never have gotten the flu. I don't believe that I have ever gotten the flu either; however, those people and myself probably do get infected but mount an immune response so effective that it prevents the virus from getting a foothold in the body.

Antioxidants found in fruit and berries such as blueberries coupled with Vitamin D could be just as effective as any vaccine against the corona virus. Olives and Olive oil is one of the substances which contains high levels of antioxidants. The role of antioxidants is a little complicated but in short they play a major role in controlling the inflammatory response.

In addition to the Sun’s role as a source of Vitamin D, sunshine also appears to make outdoors a very dangerous place for the millions of microscopic viruses that can be found in one cough. A recent study from the Homeland Security agency demonstrated that the combination of higher temperatures and humidity is fatal to the virus. 

I speculated that most of the virus horde would not be able to survive the incredibly long (given the size of the virus) and dangerous journey from one host to another. Here is my brother’s response. 

Airborne viral survival is tricky. As you know many factors influence its survival. Humidity, Temperature, UV radiation, wind speed and how much the virus is coated with water or mucus expelled by the host. Under certain conditions 6 feet is probably not sufficient distance which is why when I have to wait on lines to enter a store I make sure the wind is at my back.  

I believe many people have inadvertently contracted the virus by touching the outside of their mask and then touching their nose or mouth once they took the mask off.  As long as you are away from another person, I see no problem in coughing out the virus into the air but some people naturally will cough onto their hand and then touch something like a door knob with the virus waiting for someone else to touch it. 

It would appear that the southern states have already weathered the storm. Coincidentally, the growth of the virus has subsided dramatically in sunny Italy during the past few weeks. In the meantime, it is necessary to still practice caution in the Northern states. Still, the combination of higher temperatures and humidity should make outdoors the safest place to be.

* Louisiana is an outlier among the southern states with a death rate of 512 per million residents. A good reason was given in the video linked above.

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