Afia Ohemeng
New research from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) shows that the Coronavirus can survive on a surface for 17 days.
The CDC came to this conclusion after traces of the virus were found in the cabins on an infected cruise ship – the Diamond Princess more than two weeks after passengers left.
The new traces of the virus were detected in rooms where infected passengers had stayed on the cruise ship Diamond Princess.
HOW LONG CAN THE VIRUS STAY ON SURFACES?
The traces were found for up to 17 days in the rooms which had not been cleaned. The passengers of that room, who showed symptoms or were asymptomatic, had vacated the rooms earlier.
The researchers say it is impossible to tell if the new traces of the deadly flu-like virus had caused any infections.
The vessel is operated by Carnival’s Princess Cruises.It also had more than 700 confirmed cases and was quarantined off the coast of Yokohama, Japan.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been diagnosed around the world with the coronavirus since the global pandemic began in Wuhan, China, in December.
An earlier study found that the virus was able to stay viable on plastic and stainless steel for as many as three days, although levels fell dramatically over time.
The virus was less stable on copper, where no viable trace of the virus was found after 4 hours.
The latest study from the CDC looked at rooms that were not yet cleaned. Cleaning, researchers have confirmed, is a highly effective way of killing the virus.
The CDC also said that the spread of infection aboard the Diamond Princess happened before the ship went into quarantine. Infections among crew members rose after.
On the vessel’s sister ship, the Grand Princess, members of the crew are believed to have contracted the virus and then passed it on to passengers, according to the study.
