"Extremely robust" Coronavirus could last for 28 days on smartphones, currency: Study

A team of Australian researchers have discovered that COVID-19 virus can survive at room temperature for up to 28 days on surfaces like glass, stainless steel and currency tes, much longer than flu, highlighting need for cleaning and washing hands regularly.

study from Australia’s national science ncy, CSIRO suggests that new Coronavirus is “extremely robust” and can remain infectious for much longer than perceived before. It could last longer at lower temperatures and on smoor surfaces like glass of cell phone screens and banktes. 

researchers measured survival rates of deadly virus on different surfaces at temperatures of 20, 30, and 40 degrees. However, experiment was conducted in dark UV light which is kwn to kill Coronavirus.  study shows that virus could be more resilient than flu under conditions it survived for 17 days.

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Why is study critical?

While Coronavirus is mostly transmitted through droplets of cough or by sneezing of infected people, it can be infected by touching contaminated surfaces. study emphasises need to maintain proper levels of hygiene, particularly through diligent handwashing and surface cleaning. It is also important to remember that research was conducted under laboratory conditions that may t effectively represent real life.

Dr Debbie Eagles, one of authors of paper, said, at 20 degrees Celsius, which is about room temperature, it was found that virus was extremely robust, surviving for 28 days on smooth surfaces such as glass found on mobile phone screens and plastic banktes.

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Countering study, Professor Ron Eccles, former director of Common Cold Centre at Cardiff University said suggestion that COVID-19 could survive for 28 days causes “unnecessary fear in public.” He ted that study did t use “fresh human mucus as a transmitter of virus,” which would rmally help neutralize viruses. He opined that infectious viruses only persist for hours in mucus on surfaces rar than days. 

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