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MELBOURNE, October 12 – The virus that causes Covid-19 can survive on banknotes, glass and stainless steel for up to 28 days, much longer than the flu virus, Australian researchers said today, highlighting the need for cleaning and washing of hands to fight the virus. .
Researchers from Australia’s national scientific agency, CSIRO, found that at 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) the SARS-COV-2 virus remained infectious for 28 days on smooth surfaces such as plastic and glass banknotes found on computer screens. mobile phones. The study was published in Journal of Virology.
By comparison, influenza A virus has been found to survive on surfaces for 17 days.
CSIRO’s research involved drying the virus on artificial mucus on a variety of surfaces at concentrations similar to samples from Covid-19 patients and then extracting the virus after one month.
Experiments conducted in controlled laboratory environments at 20, 30 and 40 degrees C showed that survival time decreased as temperature increased.
“Establishing how long the virus truly remains viable on surfaces allows us to more accurately predict and mitigate its spread and do a better job of protecting our people,” CSIRO Chief Executive Larry Marshall said in a statement.
Proteins and fats in body fluids can also dramatically increase virus survival times.
“The research may also help explain the apparent persistence and spread of SARS-CoV-2 in cold environments with high lipid or protein contamination, such as meat processing facilities, and how we could better address that risk,” said Trevor Drew. , Director of the Australian Center for Disease Preparedness at CSIRO.
Australia has fared much better than most other wealthy nations in fighting Covid-19, with a total of approximately 27,000 infections and 898 deaths in a population of 25 million.
The epicenter of the country’s second wave of infection, the state of Victoria, reported 15 new cases today, well below the target of less than five the government has set to ease a tough lockdown on the state capital, Melbourne.
New South Wales, the most populous state, reported six new cases on Monday, five of which were travelers returned from quarantine. – Reuters
