Areas with more sunshine have fewer deaths from coronavirus, according to a new international scientific study, which correlates sunlight with mortality of COVID-19. The research shows that increased sun exposure, especially UVA, can be a simple public health intervention, although further research on the subject is needed.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh, led by Dr. Richard Weller, who published the study in the British Journal of Dermatology, linked deaths from pandemic in the US in 2020, with sunshine levels in 2,474 counties across the country.It found that people living in areas with higher levels of sunshine and exposure to UVA rays (which make up 95% of the sun's ultraviolet light) had a lower risk of dying from Covid-19 than those living in areas with less sunshine. The analysis was repeated in Britain and Italy with the same results.

The observed reduction in the risk of death from coronavirus cannot be explained by higher levels of vitamin D, according to the researchers, as the study included only areas with insufficient levels of UVB radiation, which produces significant amounts of the vitamin in the body.

One possible explanation for the lower number of deaths in areas with more sunshine is that sun exposure causes the skin to produce nitric acid, which probably reduces the ability of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus to replicate, which has been found in some laboratory studies.

On the other hand, previous research by the same scientific team has shown that increased sun exposure is associated with better cardiovascular health, lower blood pressure and fewer heart attacks. Given that cardiovascular disease, as an underlying disease, is a known risk factor for death from Covid-19, this may also explain the findings of the new study, according to the researchers.

«There is still so much we don't understand about Covid-19, which has caused so many deaths worldwide. These new preliminary findings highlight sun exposure as a way to potentially reduce the risk of death,» said Dr. Weller.