Coronavirus stays infective in air for hours, on surfaces for days

The novel coronavirus that has killed about 8,000 and infected 200,000 people worldwide stays infectious in aerosols for several hours and on surfaces for days, says a breakthrough study that explains how the pathogen spreads quickly through infected droplets and from contact with contaminated surfaces.

Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes the Covid-19 disease, is detectable for up to three hours in aerosols, up to four hours on a copper surface, up to 24 hours on cardboard, and up to two-three days on plastic and stainless steel, found the study published in the peer-reviewed New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

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