STUDY: COVID-19 CAN SURVIVE ON BANK NOTES, PHONE SCREENS FOR 28 DAYS

Infectious Disease Specialist // Spent 20 years with the CDC crafting policy for infection prevention // heads up the medical advisory board for Wello, a company that has created a technology for disease control and contagion management using automated, wireless monitoring sensors and cloud-based technology DR. MURRAY COHEN

The virus that causes COVID-19 can survive far longer than previously thought - remaining infectious on surfaces such as bank notes, glass, phone screens and stainless steel for 28 days, according to a new study. By comparison, the flu virus has been shown to survive on surfaces for 17 days. Researchers at Australia's science agency CSIRO conducted the experiments on the SARS-COV-2 virus at 68 degrees - room temperature - and in the dark to remove the effect of ultraviolet light, as studies have shown that sunlight can kill the bug, Reuters reported. "So in the real world results would likely be shorter than what we were able to show," Shane Riddell, the lead researcher in the study published Monday in the Virology Journal, told the news agency. "It really reinforces the importance of washing hands and sanitizing where possible and certainly wiping down surfaces that may be in contact with the virus," Riddell said about the research.
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