Open AccessControversies on the Use of Ultraviolet Rays for Disinfection During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Author(s) -
Chii-Chii Chew,
Philip Rajan
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the malaysian journal of medical sciences/the malaysian journal of medical science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.394
H-Index - 25
eISSN - 2180-4303
pISSN - 1394-195X
DOI - 10.21315/mjms2021.28.1.15
Subject(s) - covid-19 , pandemic , coronavirus , virology , medicine , ultraviolet , intensive care medicine , outbreak , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , pathology , physics , quantum mechanics
During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the use of ultraviolet (UV) rays to disinfect skin areas, clothes and other objects at the entry/exit points of public spaces has been widely discussed by stakeholders. While ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) has been shown to effectively inactivate coronaviruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-1 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), no specific evidence proves that it effectively inactivates the new SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. Because UV rays damage human tissue, UVGI should be used with caution and not directly on human skin. Various guidelines recommend that UVGI should not be used as a sole agent for disinfecting surfaces or objects but as an adjunct to the latest standard disinfecting procedures.