How Long Can COVID-19 Survive On Surfaces? | The Mould Show podcast

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Episode description

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Episode description

How Long Can COVID-19 Survive On Surfaces?

If I touch that surface or object could I get sick from COVID-19? That's the aim of this podcast to review what we know about airborne and surface transmission. COVID-19 is a virus, so it's technically not alive...but if the viral RNA ends up on a doorknob or on an extractor fan, then you could unknowingly come into contact with it. This is called fomite transmission. Today's episode reviews what we know about the survival of the virus on inanimate objects. We find that it survives less well on copper surfaces and longer on plastic than on cardboard. It can also be cleaned from the hospital rooms of patients diagnosed with the virus. But, if the room is not cleaned, then virus can remain on many typical touch surfaces. There is even a link with fecal shedding and the toilet. Next, I review the data from The Diamond Princess where it was found that the virus could be recovered from. Cabins after 17 days. That's a long time to remain infectious. What can you do? Well, there's a US EPA site that lists all the disinfectants that should work for COVID-19 and I review some of the typical ones and their efficacy.

The Breaking News section of this podcast discusses how nanofibrils of cellulose have been used to change the way building composite boards are produced. This is a great example of materials science and the search for replacements for formaldehyde. Who knows, these new 'green' manufacturing methods may also confer other benefits like antibacterial/anti-fungal properties due to the inclusion of boric acid. The last paper, I want to highlight comes out of Hong Kong and looks at seasonal influenza and how RNA could be recovered from the tops of bookshelves and doorhandles. The levels were low, but the authors postulate that this famine transmission might exacerbate childhood influenza illness and propagation.

REFERENCES:

Persistence of coronaviruses on inanimate surfaces and their inactivation with biocidal agents. doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2020.01.022

Survival of influenza virus on banknotes. doi:10.1128/AEM.00076-08. https://aem.asm.org/content/74/10/3002

Paper money and coins as potential vectors of transmissible disease. https://doi.org/10.2217/fmb.13.161

Air, Surface Environmental, and Personal Protective Equipment Contamination by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) From a Symptomatic Patient. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.3227

Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1. 10.1056/doi:10.1056/NEJMc2004973

Should we leave the paper currency? A microbiological examination. doi:10.37201/req/085.2019

Bacterial contamination of Pakistani currency notes from hospital and community sources. doi:10.12669/pjms.345.15477

Comparative antibacterial effects of cellulose nanofiber, chitosan nanofiber, chitosan/cellulose combination and chitosan alone against bacterial contamination of Iranian banknotes. doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.06.160

Presence of influenza virus on touch-surfaces in kindergartens and primary schools doi:10.1093/infdis/jiaa114

Cellulose nanocrystals vs. cellulose nanofibrils: a comparative study on their microstructures and effects as polymer reinforcing agents.

Aussie newsagent bans cash over coronavirus fears | A Current Affair. https://youtu.be/qSjKM2qOYNk

Public Health Responses to COVID-19 Outbreaks on Cruise Ships — Worldwide, February–March 2020. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6912e3external icon.

NEWS:

Laminated Wallboard Panels Made with Cellulose Nanofibrils as a Binder: doi:10.3390/ma13061303