Aerosol and surface stability of HCoV-19 (SARS-CoV-2) compared to SARS-CoV-1, 2020, van Doremalen et al (Coronavirus)

[Roy S]

Moved from this thread
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This is an article and the study awaiting peer review about this stability of COVID19 in air and on surfaces.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/487110-tests-indicate-coronavirus-can-survive-in-the-air

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.09.20033217v1.full.pdf

 

[Trish]

Aerosol and surface stability of HCoV-19 (SARS-CoV-2) compared to SARS-CoV-1

Abstract

HCoV-19 (SARS-2) has caused >88,000 reported illnesses with a current case-fatality ratio of ~2%. Here, we investigate the stability of viable HCoV-19 on surfaces and in aerosols in comparison with SARS CoV-1.

Overall, stability is very similar between HCoV-19 and SARS-CoV-1. 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. HCoV-19 and SARS-CoV-1 exhibited similar half-lives in aerosols, with median estimates around 2.7 hours.

Both viruses show relatively long viability on stainless steel and polypropylene compared to copper or cardboard: the median half-life estimate for HCoV-19 is around 13 hours on steel and around 16 hours on polypropylene.

Our results indicate that aerosol and fomite transmission of HCoV-19 is plausible, as the virus can remain viable in aerosols for multiple hours and on surfaces up to days.

 

[Denise]

This article seems to indicate that people are contagious longer than the current 2 week period of quarantine. It says median shedding was 20 days....

"Median duration of viral shedding was 20·0 days (IQR 17·0–24·0) in survivors, but SARS-CoV-2 was detectable until death in non-survivors. The longest observed duration of viral shedding in survivors was 37 days."​

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30566-3/fulltext#

 

[Sean]

I have always taken the 2 week quarantine recommendation with a grain of salt. We simply don't know this virus well enough yet. (Not suggesting the health authorities are being irresponsible.)

 

[sea]

This article seems to indicate that people are contagious longer than the current 2 week period of quarantine. It says median shedding was 20 days....

"Median duration of viral shedding was 20·0 days (IQR 17·0–24·0) in survivors, but SARS-CoV-2 was detectable until death in non-survivors. The longest observed duration of viral shedding in survivors was 37 days."​

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30566-3/fulltext#

The 2 weeks quarantine is for those who are contacts of those infected not for those who test positive to the virus. If a contact tests negative and doesn’t become sick within 14 days after contact they are presumed not infected.