New research out of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) finds that the novel coronavirus HCoV-19 (SARS-2) causing the COVID-19 pandemic can survive for days on plastic and stainless steel and even lasts up to a full day on a cardboard surface.
“We found that viable virus could be detected in aerosols up to 3 hours post aerosolization, up to 4 hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to 2-3 days on plastic and stainless steel,” reads a new study posted online Friday.
This is actually much better than some previous predictions that the virus could last for over a week on surfaces.
The new study was led by researchers from an NIH virology lab in Montana and Princeton University.
It’s important to note that the research is a pre-print draft that has not yet been peer-reviewed. Think of it as a first draft. Typically, pre-print medical research will not be put into practice until after it is reviewed, but given the rapidly emerging nature of COVID-19, it seems prudent to share the latest data with the caveat that it may change as more research is conducted and reviewed in the near future.
We found that viable virus could be detected... up to 4 hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to 2-3 days on plastic and stainless steel
What the new study found is that surfaces made of stainless steel and polypropylene, which is used in a wide variety of product packaging and labeling as well as a number of household items, medical supplies and even clothing, seem to be particularly friendly to the novel coronavirus.
The virus’ ability to hang around on cardboard is three times that of a different coronavirus that caused an outbreak of SARS in 2002 and 2003, which was seen to last only about eight hours on the popular packaging material.
However, the researchers caution that their results for cardboard were “noticeably noisier” than other surfaces tested, “so we advise caution in interpreting this result.”
Conversely, the new coronavirus does not last long on copper. All traces of it were gone after just four hours on the conductive metal.
Some key context with these results: although the virus survived different durations on different materials, its concentration was greatly reduced. Researchers estimate that the half-life of the virus is around thirteen hours on steel and sixteen hours on plastic.
Another thing to consider is that the experiments were done using stable surfaces that were maintained at room temperature and moderate humidity. Your cardboard box from Amazon goes through a much more harsh environment on its way to your doorstep.
That said, if your delivery person is coughing all over that box on the way to your doorstep, there may be reason for concern.
This new data only reiterates what we’re all being told already: do what you can to disinfect surfaces frequently and wash your hands even more frequently after coming in contact with surfaces, especially suspect steel and plastic.