Australian scientists have discovered that the virus caused by Covid-19 can live for up to 28 days on surfaces such as mobile phones, stainless steel, vinyl and paper notes.
Research conducted at the Australian Australian Center for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) in Geelong also found that Saras-CV-2 survived longer at lower temperatures, the National Science Agency, CSIRO, said.
It said the virus lasted longer on paper notes than on plastic notes and lasted longer on smooth surfaces instead of a porous surface like cotton.
Research published in the Journal of Virology also found that the virus lasted 10 days longer than influenza on some surfaces.
The Chief Executive of CSIRO, Dr. Larry Marshall said that by establishing how long the virus survived on the surface, scientists could more accurately predict its spread and therefore protect the community from infection.
The results reinforced the need for good practices such as regular hand washing and cleaning surfaces, said Deb B Dei Eagles, deputy director of the ACDP.
“At 20C, which is about room temperature, we found that the virus was very strong, surviving 28 days on a smooth surface like glass found on a mobile phone screen.”
Similar experiments for influenza A found that the surface survived for 17 days.
Further experiments were performed at 30C and 40C, with the survival time of the SARS-CoV-2 virus increasing with temperature.
“While the specific role of surface transport, the degree of surface contact and the amount of virus required for infection remain to be determined, it is important to develop a risk-reduction strategy in high-contact areas to determine how long the virus can survive on the surface. Eagle said.
Professor Trevor Drew, director of the ACDP, said the research could help explain the precise rate and spread of SARS-Cavi-2 in cold climates such as meat processing facilities and how it could be better addressed.
