One of the biggest unknowns about the coronavirus in how changing seasons will affect the spread of the coronavirus. Physicists at the University of Utah https://www.uthah.edu, have received a National Science Foundation (NSF) https://www.nsf.gov grant for nearly $200,000 to tackle the question.
Researchers Michael Vershinin and Saveez Saffarian are studying the structure of the SARS-COV-2, the coronavirus strain at the center of the current pandemic. They are testing how the structure of the coronavirus withstands changes in humidity and temperature and under what condition may make the virus fall apart. The results will help public health officials understand how the virus behaves under various environmental conditions, including when seasons change.
“We’re making a replica of the virus packaging that holds everything together,” said Vershinin. “The idea is to figure out not only what makes this virus fall apart, but also what makes it tick, and what makes it die. This study won’t solve the crisis, but it will hopefully inform policy decisions going forward.”
“Coronavirus spreads similarly to the influenza virus when small mucus droplets are suspended in the air,” said Saffarian. “The thinking is that viruses lose infectivity because the particles lose structural integrity. The physics of how the droplets evolve in different temperature and humidity conditions affects how infectious it is.”
Krastan Biagoev, Program Director in NSF’s Division of Physics, “This application of sophisticated physics instruments and methods to understand how the coronavirus will behave as the weather changes is a clear example of how investing in basic research prepares us for a response to a crisis that impacts the whole world.”