Covid-19 update: How long coronavirus can survive on surfaces

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A study from Australia revealed how long coronavirus can survive on surfaces, reiterating the importance of handwashing and disinfecting.

Published in the Virology Journal, results showed that coronavirus can survive on surfaces for 28 days. Examples of these surfaces are steel, glass, paper, vinyl, and polymer banknotes.

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CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, suggested that the virus the causes Covid-19 can live on surfaces for longer than many had expected.

The findings, which were peer-reviewed, also indicated the virus was “extremely robust” at lower temperatures. This means the virus remains infectious for a longer period when compared with higher temperatures.

The Australian team evaluated the survival rates of the virus, dried in a mucous solution, at three temperatures on six surface areas: vinyl, stainless steel, paper, glass, polymer banknotes, and cotton cloth.

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According to the researchers, a droplet of fluid with the virus at concentrations matching the levels seen in infected patients was dried on different small test surfaces and left for up to 28 days.

The study detected that the length of survival of the virus on smooth surfaces, such as glass, vinyl, stainless steel, and paper polymer banknotes, is 28 days when kept at 20 degrees Celsius (68 F), which is about room temperature and in the dark.

“These findings demonstrate SARS-CoV-2 can remain infectious for significantly longer time periods than generally considered possible,” the study authors said, noting further research on the number of virus particles that can cause infection was still necessary.

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Different conditions must be taken into account when determining if virus particles on a surface could infect people, according to the team. The time it takes for viruses to inactivate also depends on several factors.

“The makeup of the virus itself, the type of surface it is on and whether the virus is liquid or dried can impact the time it remains viable. Environmental conditions such as temperature, exposure to sunlight and humidity also play a part,” they said.

Stability of the virus

In March, a study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), CDC, UCLA and Princeton University revealed that the coronavirus lasts for several hours to days in aerosols and on surfaces.

Published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the text “Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1” showed that coronavirus could persist in aerosols for up to three hours.

Results also show that the virus can last up to four hours on copper and up to 24 hours on cardboard. Moreover, it can stay up to two to three days on stainless steel and plastic.

The study presents key information about the stability of SARS-CoV-2, which leads to COVID-19 disease. With this, NIH states that “people may acquire the virus through the air and after touching contaminated objects.”

Five days after exposure

People with coronavirus symptoms may only experience them five days after their exposure to the virus, according to a study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

The study “The Incubation Period of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) From Publicly Reported Confirmed Cases: Estimation and Application” discovered that people would manifest coronavirus symptoms 5.1 days after their initial exposure. It was the median length as incubation periods vary. Some people show signs of illness within two weeks.

“Based on our analysis of publicly available data, the current recommendation of 14 days for active monitoring or quarantine is reasonable, although with that period some cases would be missed over the long term,” said Justin Lessler of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and senior author of the report.