The mysterious corona virus is acting in a way that even scientists find hard to explain. The disease introduces unexplained phenomena and cases which are incompatible with the explanation that the severity of the disease depends on age and background illnesses. Covid-19 germs’ survival on various surfaces has increased the contagion factor by 60-80%.
The New England Journal of Medicine just published a study that tested how long the virus can remain stable on different kinds of surfaces within a controlled laboratory setting. On plastic and steel surfaces, the virus can live for three days. On copper, it can live for four hours, and on cardboard, COVID-19 can live for up to one day.
There are some parameters that a virus must adhere, in order to infect the human body, which is our primary concern as of now.
There’s a certain amount of viral particle that you need to be exposed to become infected. If you just had one viral particle on your finger, it’s unlikely that you’re going to be infected. Some viruses are very potent; you only need like 10 particles to get infected, while others you [may] need millions.
The fewer viral particles you’re exposed to, the less likely you’re going to get infected. That’s why the amount of viruses on a surface is essential.
“The virus typically doesn’t like to live on surfaces that have a lot of holes or microscopic little grooves, nooks or crannies,” explains Dr. Esper. “It likes surfaces that are very smooth, like doorknobs.”
Its life span on glass is for 5days, and in the case of the wood, it is 4days. That is why it is mandatory to clean your doorknobs and handles regularly.
The risk of people getting affected through surfaces is quite low. According to Dr. Julia Marcus, infectious disease epidemiologist, and professor in the Department of Population Medicine at Harvard Medical School, it’s a low risk, but it’s possible that if someone is delivering a package to your house and they are sick, that may be a route for transmission. “I would recommend that any time something new comes into your household, be conscious of washing your hands after handling it.”
Under the various guidelines issued by CDC and other regulatory bodies, non-essential services and some deliveries’ products are under the line of fire during the isolation period to minimize contact with cardboards and other surfaces with the human body.
