Corona Virus and Hard Surface Contamination – Sanitising Kills VirusesRecent research published in the Journal of Hospital Infection suggests the virus could persist for up to 9 days on hard surfaces. The findings were derived from 22 studies that focused mainly on SARS and MERS which are almost identical in viral structure to COVID 19. Co-author Professor Eike Steinman said results from the analyses should be transferable to the emerging coronavirus.
‘Different coronaviruses were analysed, and the results were all similar,’ he said.
‘Under the circumstances, the best approach was to publish these verified scientific facts … in order to make all information available at a glance.’
The 22 evaluated studies showed that coronaviruses can persist on surfaces and remain infectious at room temperature for on average four to five days, but sometimes up to nine days.
Co-author Professor Günter Kampf, from the Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine at the Greifswald University Hospital in Germany, said healthcare settings with surfaces that are frequently touched by potentially infected carriers can be particularly vulnerable.
