[ad_1]
The virus responsible for Covid-19 can survive up to 28 days on common surfaces such as banknotes and mobile phone screens, much longer than previously thought.
The study by Australia’s national scientific agency, CSIRO, found that the virus survives longer at lower temperatures and on smooth or non-porous surfaces like glass and stainless steel compared to porous surfaces like cotton.
The virus can remain infectious for “much longer. . . than is generally considered possible ”on surfaces, reinforcing the need for good sanitation practices to mitigate its spread, according to the study, published in Virology Journal on Monday.
“This research shows that we must continue to wash our hands and disinfect door handles, silverware, ATMs and other commonly used surfaces,” said Trevor Drew, director of the Australian Center for Disease Preparedness, who led the research.
However, he said the research was conducted under a “worst case” method that likely extended the maximum period of time that the virus could survive and remain infectious. For example, the research was conducted in the dark to negate the effects of ultraviolet light, which can kill the virus, and high viral loads were used, Drew told the Financial Times.
An earlier study using a different methodology published in The Lancet in April found that no infectious viruses could be detected in glass or banknotes after four days or seven days for stainless steel.
Nonetheless, CSIRO’s research provides important data that could inform disinfection procedures and highlight the potential risk of infection posed by different imported surfaces and products. In August, New Zealand scientists suggested that a Covid-19 outbreak could have been related to imported refrigerated transport.
Drew said the virus’s ability to survive longer in colder conditions could help explain why nations face an increased risk of Covid-19 outbreaks during the winter.
The CSIRO study measured the survival rates of infectious SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19, on several common surfaces at three different temperatures: 20 ° C, 30 ° C and 40 ° C. It deployed viral loads widely. equivalent to the highest possible levels excreted by infectious patients.
Latest news on coronavirus
Follow FT’s live coverage and analysis of the global pandemic and rapidly evolving economic crisis here.
The virus remained present for up to 28 days on common surfaces such as glass, stainless steel, paper and polymer banknotes at temperatures of 20ºC. But the infectious virus survived less than 24 hours at 40 ° C on some surfaces, the study found.
“At 20 ° C, which is roughly room temperature, we found the virus to be extremely robust, surviving for 28 days on smooth surfaces such as glass found on mobile phone screens and plastic banknotes,” Debbie said. Eagles, deputy director of the Australian Center for Disease Preparedness.
“For context, similar experiments for influenza A have found that it survived on surfaces for 17 days, which highlights how resistant SARS-CoV-2 is.”
