An Australian research group has published what appears to be a rather horrifying discovery. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can be executed even after sitting on the surface of glass or banknotes for 28 days.
Much attention is paid to indoor ventilation in Aerosolized particles and droplets From coughing, sneezing, and conversation, this study strongly reminds us that we also need to pay attention to what we are touching.
However, while the paper itself is sturdy, you need to know what’s going on before someone panics and leaves the house. So we are here to help.
Researchers took a strain of SARS-CoV-2 and suspended it in a solution designed to mimic human mucus. The final concentration of virus in the fake mucus was 4.97 x 107 / mL. This is about the same as the amount of virus present in the mucus of high viral load COVID-19 patients.
“The virus used in this study has a high titer, but it represents a plausible amount of virus that can deposit on the surface,” said a team from the Australian Federal Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIRO). Write in their dissertation..
The team then dried the mucus on stainless steel, glass, vinyl, cotton, polymer and paper banknotes at three different temperatures: 20 ° C, 30 ° C and 40 ° C (68-104 ° F). I did. light.
They sampled dry mucus 1 hour after inoculation and 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days.
The team found that the virus remained and could be detected on most surfaces at 20 ° C for up to 28 days. The only exception was cotton, which fell below the detection limit after 7 days.
“At 20 ° C, about the same as room temperature, the virus was found to be extremely powerful and survive for 28 days on smooth surfaces such as glass found on cell phone screens and plastic banknotes.” Debbie Eagles, one of the CSIRO researchers, said.
“In context, a similar experiment with influenza A found that influenza A survived on the surface for 17 days, demonstrating the elasticity of SARS-CoV-2.”
However, at high temperatures, the virus did not survive for too long. It took 3 to 21 days for the virus to fall below the detection limit for glass, vinyl, stainless steel, polymers and banknotes at 30 ° C to 40 ° C.
Well, here we are at the heart of it. As mentioned earlier, researchers put all the samples in the dark, Ultraviolet rays – That is, these findings may not be applicable in real-world situations under various conditions.
We too I don’t know yet How many viable viruses do you need to make a person sick? Researchers were analyzing by reducing the amount of virus by a factor of 10. After 28 days, the amount of virus that could infect tissue culture was significantly reduced compared to the first sample. I don’t know if the amount of virus on these surfaces after a few days is enough to cause COVID-19 in someone.
“The exact role of surface infection, the degree of surface contact, and the amount of virus required for infection have not yet been determined, but establishing a period of time for this virus to survive on the surface is in high contact areas. It is important for developing risk mitigation strategies. ” Eagles said.
It is also important to be aware of hot spots Have not experienced the lower spread of COVID-19, And soon with India The number of cases exceeds that of the United States, High temperature is certainly not a pandemic jailbreak card.
Cardiff University Upper Respiratory Researcher Ron Eccles Told the BBC The conclusion that the virus can survive for 28 days causes “unnecessary fear of the public”, and since the actual mucus contains enzymes that break down the virus, it is studied not to use the actual mucus. It was a design flaw.
“In my opinion, the infectious virus lasts only a few hours in the surface mucus, not days.”
This study is an important reminder to wash our hands and stay aware of the situation around us, but (like most studies) how the general public keeps themselves safe during a pandemic. Should not change.
The main infection route is known When someone coughs, breathes, or talks to another person (without wearing a mask in particular), the virus can spread by touching the infected surface and then the face. A disinfectant that can be easily wiped off with regular use of 70% alcohol.
Wearing a mask, keeping away from large gatherings, and regular hand washing and surface cleaning are still the best ways to protect yourself.
The study is published at Virology Journal..
This article was originally published by ScienceAlert..Read the original article here..
