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How long does coronavirus live on different surfaces? | US news | The Guardian
Coronavirus RNA was found on a cruise ship 17 days after passengers left. What are the risks of handling packages and groceries?
More people are staying indoors to avoid contact with people potentially infected by Covid-19. But in light of a recent report from the US’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that said RNA from the virus that causes Covid-19 was found in the Diamond Princess ship 17 days after its passengers had left, what are the risks of handling packages, groceries and what scientists call “high-touch” surfaces?
Does the cruise ship report imply that viruses survive up to 17 days on surfaces?
Dr Julia Marcus: A CDC investigation of the cruise ship found evidence of viral RNA in cabins that hadn’t yet been cleaned. But to be clear, that just means the virus was detectable – not that it was viable or that contact with those services would have been able to infect someone. (Editor’s note: RNA, or ribonucleic acid, carries the virus’s genetic information.)
Dr Akiko Iwasaki: It just means that there are parts of the virus that still remain. The virus needs many other components to be intact. If you have bits and pieces of RNA, that’s not going to make a virus, you need an entire intact genome. Just because you had a little piece of RNA doesn’t mean that there’s an infection.
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Wash your hands & use sanitizer after touching anything from outside your home. This is not the end of the world. The majority of people survived the 1918 Spanish Flu & they knew less about what was happening than we do. I saw a pix of a street car conductor back then refusing to let on a person who was not wearing a mask. Today that makes a lot of sense.
Coronavirus RNA was found on a cruise ship 17 days after passengers left. What are the risks of handling packages and groceries?
More people are staying indoors to avoid contact with people potentially infected by Covid-19. But in light of a recent report from the US’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that said RNA from the virus that causes Covid-19 was found in the Diamond Princess ship 17 days after its passengers had left, what are the risks of handling packages, groceries and what scientists call “high-touch” surfaces?
Does the cruise ship report imply that viruses survive up to 17 days on surfaces?
Dr Julia Marcus: A CDC investigation of the cruise ship found evidence of viral RNA in cabins that hadn’t yet been cleaned. But to be clear, that just means the virus was detectable – not that it was viable or that contact with those services would have been able to infect someone. (Editor’s note: RNA, or ribonucleic acid, carries the virus’s genetic information.)
Dr Akiko Iwasaki: It just means that there are parts of the virus that still remain. The virus needs many other components to be intact. If you have bits and pieces of RNA, that’s not going to make a virus, you need an entire intact genome. Just because you had a little piece of RNA doesn’t mean that there’s an infection.
========================================================
Wash your hands & use sanitizer after touching anything from outside your home. This is not the end of the world. The majority of people survived the 1918 Spanish Flu & they knew less about what was happening than we do. I saw a pix of a street car conductor back then refusing to let on a person who was not wearing a mask. Today that makes a lot of sense.
