Surface Contamination Of Covid-19: How Long Can The Virus Last?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.19166/med.v7i5.2468Abstract
The novel coronavirus, which is now known as COVID-19, has caused a global pandemic. It is known that the main transmission routes of the novel coronavirus are through droplets, close human-to-human contact, and contact with inanimate surfaces contaminated by the virus. Thus, it is important to find out how long SARS-CoV-2 can remain viable on different surfaces. A study by van Doremalen et al. (2020) found that SARS-CoV-2 can remain viable for up to 72 hours on plastic and stainless steel surfaces, 4 hours on copper, and 24 hours on cardboard. Chin et al. (2020) reported that SARS-CoV-2 could persist on wood and cloth for 2 days, and could last for 4 days on glass and banknotes. These findings indicate that viral contamination of object surfaces is an important and dangerous factor in spread of disease, emphasizing the urgent need for prevention strategies against transmission of infection through contact with inanimate surfaces.
References
Guo Y, Cao Q, Hong Z, Tan Y, Chen S, Jin H. The origin, transmission, and clinical therapies on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak - an update on the status. Mil Med Res. 2020;7:11.
Ye G, Lin H, Chen L, Wang S. Environmental contamination of the SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare premises: An urgent call for protection for healthcare workers. Mil Med Res. 2020;1-20.
Ong S, Tan Y, Chia P, Lee T, Ng O, Wong M. Air, surface environmental, and personal protective equipment contamination by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from a symptomatic patient. J Am Med Assoc. 2020;5-7.
Guo Z, Wang Z, Zhang S, Li X, Li L, Li C. Aerosol and surface distribution of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in hospital wards, Wuhan, China, 2020. Emerg Infect Dis. 2020;26(7):1-2.
Chia P, Coleman K, Kim T, Wei S. Detection of air and surface contamination by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in hospital rooms of infected patients. Mil Med Res. 2020;125:1-18.
Chin A, Chu J, Perera M, Hui K, Yen H, Chan M, et al. Stability of SARS-CoV-2 in different environmental conditions. The Lancet Microbe. 2020;
Van Doremalen N, Bushmaker T, Morris D, Holbrook M, Gamble A, Williamson B, et al. Aerosol and surface stability of SARS-CoV-2 as compared with SARS-CoV-1. N Engl J Med. 2020;
Kampf G, Todt D, Pfaender S, Steinmann E. Persistence of coronaviruses on inanimate surfaces and their inactivation with biocidal agents. J Hosp Infect. 2020;104:246-51.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
3) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website). The final published PDF should be used and bibliographic details that credit the publication in this journal should be included.
.png)
