The ability of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus to infect hardly changes with temperature, studies say. The virus is active at both low and high temperatures. But scientists also have one good news for us.
Although the SARS-Cov-2 virus infects mainly through saliva droplets, according to specialists, transmission involving various surfaces must also be taken into account. This is especially true of hospitals.
- See also: How does the coronavirus attack the body? The scientists answer
Scientists from a Swiss-German team checked how long the virus maintains its ability to infect on a metal surface at various temperatures, from 4 degrees C to 30 degrees C.
It turns out that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that has found itself on an object remains active on it for almost as long at low and high temperatures.
“It’s surprising: it doesn’t matter whether it’s cold – or very hot,” says Prof. Stephanie Pfänder from the Ruhr-Universität in Bochum, co-author of a study published in the Journal of Infection.
- They predicted the coronavirus would attack in waves. Now they say: it’s like a “forest fire”
The good news is that after an hour, its infectivity decreases sharply, so the risk of infection decreases rapidly. After an hour, it fell a hundred times on the dry metal. Over the next eight hours, the number of viral particles hardly decreased. But then it began to slowly decline further. It happened almost regardless of the temperature.
At 4 degrees Celsius, the number of active viral particles decreased by half in 13 hours, at room temperature it took about 9 hours, and at 30 degrees Celsius – about 18 hours.
- See also: Everything you need to know about coronaviruses
Researchers detected the virus up to 180 hours after it was applied to a metal plate.
«Until now, it was assumed that higher temperatures may contribute to lower SARS-CoV-2 infectivity in summer. However, the stability of the virus does not seem to respond to different temperatures – at least when it is on a surface »- emphasizes Prof. Pfänder.
Researchers speculate that the virus may be less infectious in summer due to changes in humidity or UV radiation.
Author: mat/ zan/
See also:
- Coronavirus COVID-19 – the most important questions and answers
- Are the symptoms of COVID-19 different in seniors than in other adults?
- Co-morbidities – what does this mean?