UVB (290–315 nm) inactivation of the SARS CoV-2 virus as a function of the standard UV index

The inactivation time for the SARS CoV-2 virus, mostly by a portion of UVB spectrum (290–315 nm) in sunlight, has been estimated using radiative transfer calculations and a relative wavelength sensitivity virus inactivation action spectrum A(LS). The action spectrum is adjusted for the SARS CoV-2 virus using a derived UV dose D(90) = 3.2 J/m(2) for 90% inactivation to match laboratory results for the inactivation of SARS CoV-2 virus droplets on steel mesh. Estimation of the time for 90% inactivation T(90) at a specific geographic location can be simplified using the commonly published or calculated UV index (UVI). The use of UVI has the advantage that information on the amount of ozone, the site altitude, and the degree of cloud cover are built into the published UVI calculation. Simple power-law T(90)(UVI) = a UVI(b) fitting equations are derived that provide estimates of T(90)(UVI) for 270 specific locations. Using the results from the 270 locations, a generalized latitude θ dependence is presented for the coefficients a(θ) and b(θ) that enables T(90)(θ, UVI) to be estimated for 60°S ≤ θ ≤ 60°N and for noon and 2 h around local solar noon. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11869-021-01099-3.