Japanese searchers carried out studies on coronavirus and shown the virus can stay active on skin up to 9.04 hours! As a comparison, the flu pathogen agent can only resist for 1.8 hours, that is to say 5 times shorter. Published in the Clinical Infectious Diseases magazine, this study shows how important it is to wash your hands regularly to limit the spread of the epidemic.
If coronavirus is spreading that fast across the world, it is mostly because “The nine-hour survival of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus strain that causes Covid-19) on human skin may increase the risk of contact transmission in comparison with IAV (influenza A virus), thus accelerating the pandemic” the study reads.
Yet, it also proved like the flu virus, Covid-19 is inactivated within 15 seconds only by applying ethanol such as in hand sanitizers. The study is also moderating its contents: “The longer survival of SARS-CoV-2 on the skin increases contact-transmission risk; however, hand hygiene can reduce this risk”.
As the world is currently counting at least 1.1 million deaths, and over 40 million coronavirus cases, it is more vital than ever to thoroughly wash your hands and meticulously apply health guidelines to halt the epidemic.
A previous study in Australia proved coronavirus can survive up to 28 days on surfaces.
