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The new coronavirus can last up to several hours if not days on different surfaces, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
What’s going on
- The novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, continues to spread throughout the Untied States, leading to business closures, state lockdowns and a change in general American culture.
- People have been asked to shelter in place, wash their hands and avoid seeing their friends out in the world.
- Washing hands is a key measure to stop the spread as the disease can last for hours, and possibly days, on different surfaces. So if you have the virus and you touch a table, there’s a good chance the virus could land there and wait there for the next host to arrive, officials say.
- The new study from the New England Journal of Medicine has unveiled how the coronavirus lasts on multiple surfaces,
The method
- Scientists from the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UCLA and Princeton University examined how long the virus lasts on each of these surfaces, according to CNBC.
The breakdown
- Here’s a quick breakdown of how long the virus lasts.
- In the air: Up to three hours
- Copper: Up to four hours
- Cardboard: Up to 24 hours.
- Plastic: Three days
- Stainless steel: 3 days.
- The scientists noted that the time can decline over time.
What it means
- According to CNBC, Dr. Neeltje van Doremalen, a scientist from NIH and a lead researcher on the study, said at a press conference that the study’s findings show “that people may acquire the virus through the air and after touching contaminated objects.”