Coronavirus can survive on surfaces like banknotes, phone screens for a month: Here’s what researchers say
SARS-CoV-2 was detected on smooth surfaces such as glass found on mobile phone screens and plastic banknotes after 28 days at room temperature
New Delhi: Coronavirus can survive for a month on surfaces like banknotes, glass and other common surfaces, according to research by Australia’s top biosecurity laboratory.
Researchers at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, have found that Covid can survive for up to 28 days on surfaces. The research, undertaken at the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) in Geelong, Victoria, found the virus survived better at colder temperatures.
Scientists at the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness showed SARS-CoV-2 is “extremely robust,” surviving for 28 days on smooth surfaces such as glass found on mobile phone screens and plastic banknotes at room temperature, or 20 degrees Celsius. That compares with 17 days survival for the flu virus.
Virus survival declined to less than a day at 40 degrees on some surfaces, according to the study, published on Monday in Virology Journal. The findings add to evidence that the coronavirus which causes Covid-19 survives for longer in cooler weather, making it potentially harder to control in winter than summer. The research also helps to more accurately predict and mitigate the pandemic’s spread, the researchers said.
It also found that the virus survived longer on smooth surfaces such as glass and stainless steel compared to surfaces like cotton according to EurekAlert. Recent studies have shown that the virus is able to remain infectious in airborne particles for greater than three hours. Over the course of a month, the virus was analysed and re-isolated to determine its survivability rate.
“While the precise role of surface transmission, the degree of surface contact and the amount of virus required for infection is yet to be determined, establishing how long this virus remains viable on surfaces is critical for developing risk mitigation strategies in high contact areas,” said one of the study authors Debbie Eagles, Deputy Director of ACDP.
“How long they can survive and remain infectious depends on the type of virus, quantity, the surface, environmental conditions and how it’s deposited – for example touch vs droplets emitted by coughing,” said Professor Trevor Drew, Director of ACDP.
“Proteins and fats in body fluids can also significantly increase virus survival times.” CSIRO Chief Executive Larry Marshall said surface survivability research builds on the national science agency’s other Covid-19 work, including vaccine testing, wastewater testing, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) manufacture and accreditation, and big data dashboards supporting each state.
The study was also carried out in the dark, to remove the effect of UV light as research has demonstrated direct sunlight can rapidly inactivate the virus.
“Our results show that SARS-CoV-2 can remain infectious on surfaces for long periods of time, reinforcing the need for good practices such as regular handwashing and cleaning surfaces,” Eagles said.
“At 20 degrees Celsius, which is about room temperature, we found that the virus was extremely robust, surviving for 28 days on smooth surfaces such as glass found on mobile phone screens and plastic banknotes.
“For context, similar experiments for Influenza A have found that it survived on surfaces for 17 days, which highlights just how resilient SARS-CoV-2 is,” Eagles said.