(siren wails)
-: It's one of the deadliest pathogens the world has faced
in the last 100 years.
Trying to crack the Corona virus code
is now the top priority at Fort Detrick, Maryland
in the Homeland Security biodefense center.
Behind these doors,
one of the most secure labs in the country.
Researchers in full biohazard suits
now working to understand how the coronavirus spreads
and infects so easily.
I asked senior research scientist, Paul Dabisch
about the pressure knowing so many people have already died.
-: It's very great,
like we are working around the clock because of that,
to try to answer questions
that we're being asked about this virus,
and hopefully those results can help to inform
our response to this,
and we know the clock is ticking on this.
-: Among the most urgent questions,
how long does the virus hang in the air
and remain infectious?
In this aerosol chamber,
researchers recreate the sunlight, heat and humidity levels
for any climate in the country,
from New York in springtime to Arizona's deserts
to Florida's beaches.
If the virus can remain airborne,
it could potentially spread more easily
through hospitals, prisons, meat packing operations,
schools and nursing homes.
-: We're most concerned about the really small droplets
that you can't see,
because those are the ones that get down
deep into your lung,
and for most infectious agents,
that's when you get the worst possible infection.
-: Those could be deadly?
-: Those could be deadly.
-: Droplets smaller than a human hair.
Researchers already know the virus can survive on cardboard
for 24 hours,
plastic and steel for three days,
glass for four days.
Last month, this lab announced
that common household disinfectants
can quickly kill the virus,
but another critical discovery received less attention.
The pathogen does not survive well in direct sunlight
and at certain humidity levels.
-: We have found so far
is that sunlight seems to be very detrimental to the virus.
And so within minutes,
the majority of the virus isn't activated on surfaces
and in the air in direct sunlight.
-: That could mean the virus would die quickly
on anything left outside,
from playground equipment to backyard furniture,
to shopping carts.
It's not clear whether sunlight kills the virus on skin.
-: Our preliminary results say yes,
that the sunlight on plastic
will inactivate the virus very quickly.
-: Potential good news for anyone anxious to get outside.
Researchers say the fact that this virus dies quickly
in direct sunlight,
but can live for days on surfaces inside,
could directly affect
how Americans live and play this summer.