The 2019-nCoV virus can survive up to 4 weeks on phone screens
Another reason for you to clean the phone's screen frequently.
The 2019 novel coronavirus or 2019-nCov. <br>Image source: WedMD
The 2019 novel coronavirus or 2019-nCov is reportedly more robust compared to other viruses according to Australia's national science agency.
The government agency recently conducted a study to determine the effects of temperature on persistence of the coronavirus on common surfaces. The findings are alarming; the coronavirus is found to remain infectious for significantly longer time periods than generally considered possible.
The study was conducted in a lab environment with different temperatures. At 20°C, the coronavirus was still detectable after 28 days post inoculation for all non-porous surfaces tested. These non-porous surfaces include glass, polymer note, stainless steel, vinyl and paper notes. For porous surfaces such as cotton cloth, the recovery of the coronavirus was reduced by half.
Higher temperatures of 30°C and 40°C resulted in significant reduction of virus recovery. For example, the coronavirus could survive up till a week on stainless steel, polymer notes and glass, and three days for vinyl and cotton cloth.
It is noteworthy to mention that these experiments were done in lab conditions that are far from real-world conditions. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Covid-19 spreads mainly through close contact from person to person via respiratory droplets. Contact with contaminated surfaces is said to be a less common way of Covid-19 infection.
Several companies have come up with solutions to combat Covid-19. Sharp developed an air purifying device that can kill the coronavirus. Texas-based Xenex Disinfection Services conducted a successful test of its LightStrike robot which used UV light to destroy the coronavirus in two minutes.
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