How long can the corona virus survive at different levels?

Like many respiratory viruses, the corona virus is spread by tiny droplets that come out of a coughing person's mouth and nose.

A single cough can contain up to 3,000 such drops.

The particles in the drops fall on a surface, or on someone's clothes, and some remain in the air.

There is also evidence that the virus is present in human excretions, so people who do not wash their hands properly after using the toilet can damage anything they touch.

In the United States, the CDC says that touching a place where the virus is present and then putting the same hand on your face is not the main way to spread the virus.

Nevertheless, the CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) say hand washing and surface cleansing are the most important steps in preventing the spread of the virus.

Although we do not yet know how many cases have been caused by surface contact, experts say caution should be exercised.

It is not yet clear how long the virus survives outside the human body. Past research has shown that similar viruses can live on metal, glass, or plastic for up to nine days if not properly cleaned.

At low temperatures, some can survive for up to 28 days.

Corona viruses are said to have the ability to survive on many types of surfaces. And researchers are beginning to understand how these viruses spread.

Nilje van Durmaln, a virus specialist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States, is one of the first to test for the virus on various surfaces.

Their research shows that the virus can stay in the air for up to three hours after coughing.

Cough drops of one to five micrometers can stay in the air for several hours. This size is 30 times smaller than human hair.

In other words, in an unfiltered AC system, it can only stay for a few hours at most, because where the wind is blowing, these drops quickly settle on the surfaces.

However, NIH research has shown that the virus survives on cardboard for a longer period of time, up to 24 hours, and can live on any surface of plastic and steel for two to three days.

That is, it will last longer on door handles, tables, and other plastic-coated surfaces. But researchers have found that on copper surfaces it dies in four hours.

Cleaning surfaces

Research has also shown that if a surface is cleaned with a solution containing 62 to 71% alcohol or 0.5% hydrogen oxide or household bleach, the corona viruses are eliminated within a minute.

Corona viruses die quickly even at high temperatures and high humidity. Researchers believe that corona viruses like this die in temperatures above 56 degrees Celsius, but it is so hot that bathing in water at this temperature can damage human skin.

Research has not yet shown how long the virus stays in clothes or similar surfaces that are difficult to disinfect.

Vincent Munster of Rocky Mountain Labs says: "We think that at any level where it can be absorbed, like clothes, it dries faster but sticks to them.

Temperature and humidity also play a role in determining how long the virus can survive outside the human body. "Right now we're doing more research on these two elements to see what effect they have on the virus," says Vincent Munster.

He says the ability of the virus to survive outside the human body for so long shows the importance of hand washing and cleaning surfaces.