The coronavirus remains active on human skin for nine hours, Japanese researchers have found, in a discovery they said showed the need for frequent hand washing to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pathogen that causes the flu survives on human skin for about 1.8 hours by comparison, said the study published this month in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal.
“The nine-hour survival of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus strain that causes COVID-19) on human skin may increase the risk of contact transmission in comparison with IAV (influenza A virus), thus accelerating the pandemic,” it said.
The research team tested skin collected from autopsy specimens, about one day after death.
Both the coronavirus and the flu virus are inactivated within 15 seconds by applying ethanol, which is used in hand sanitisers.
“The longer survival of SARS-CoV-2 on the skin increases contact-transmission risk; however, hand hygiene can reduce this risk,” the study said.
The study backs World Health Organization guidance for regular and thorough hand washing to limit transmission of the virus, which has infected nearly 40 million people around the world since it first emerged in China late last year.
3 responses to “Coronavirus survives on skin five times longer than flu — study”
More lies ahead from the snake people with a shady agenda,when the fools be satisfy to be lockdown and receive a miserable 300 a week FREE,their going to be ok.
Mass media= master of the kickers
Politicians= a bunch of voltures who sell their soul for a plate of lentil until their master decide to lockdown in jail because their nastiness…
What kind of nonsense is this? Open your eyes people as wasn’t there an H1N1 before this covid 19 compere it to that or would we realize that H1N1 is still among us.
I was referring to Sars which is also a coronavirus compare it with another coronavirus.