Research shows the coronavirus lives longer on plastic and stainless steel than on copper.
The coronavirus can remain viable and infectious for hours in the air and for days on surfaces, according to a new study from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health.
Researchers attempted to mimic how the coronavirus might behave when an infected person coughed or touched objects in a household or hospital setting.
According to the study, which appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, the virus is able to continue infecting people for at least 3 hours when it attaches to droplets in the air.
It remains viable for:
- 3 days on plastic and stainless steel.
- 24 hours on cardboard.
- 4 hours on copper.
The research team also estimated the half-life of coronavirus and found that at least some portion of the virus would be viable for even longer on surfaces and in the air, according to Reuters.
The team found that it takes about 66 minutes for half the virus particles to lose function if they are in an aerosol droplet.
“That means that after another hour and six minutes, three quarters of the virus particles will be essentially inactivated but 25% will still be viable,” writes Reuters.
The virus’s half-life on other surfaces is:
- 6 hours 49 minutes on plastic.
- 5 hours 38 minutes on stainless steel.
- 5 hours on cardboard.
- 46 minutes on copper.