AT1 FY21 - General Discussion + FA, page-37

Folks might have already seen this on ABC news today...if so, please ignore...

In my view, below CSIRO info decreases the chances of Covid19 'naturally' dying out anytime soon OR being eliminated in connected regions (eg: EU), as it keeps circling through infected travellers/asymptomatic patients + related surfaces and materials that might infect others for longer, if not cleaned properly.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-12/coronavirus-can-live-on-surfaces-28-days-australian-scientists/12752108
Virus that causes COVID-19 survives up to 28 days on surfaces, Australian scientists find

This CSIRO research is published in Virology journal + I expect this info to spread out globally over next few days - through news wires/CSIRO's research reputation in the medical space - as it changes significantly previous research/cleaning strategies planned around 2-5days of potency

Some points from article...
"...COVID-19 can live for up to 28 days on surfaces such as mobile phone screens and ATMs — much longer than previously thought"

"CSIRO scientists tested the SARS-CoV-2 virus to see how long it survived on surfaces such as cotton, paper, stainless steel, glass and vinyl.

"..the research team used the same amount of virus that would be found in someone who was infected."

""Touchscreen devices such as mobile phones, bank ATMs, supermarket self-serve checkouts and airport check-in kiosks are high-touch surfaces which may not be regularly cleaned and pose a transmission risk,"

"Previous research revealed the virus that causes COVID-19 could be detected in aerosols for up to three hours and on plastic and stainless steel surfaces for up to three days." "this new study found the virus hung around intact on most surfaces for about six to seven days before starting to lose its potency. "What we found was that even after two weeks, there was still plenty of live, infectious virus there which could potentially infect someone,"

"It seems that it lasts longer than other viruses such as influenza, which only lasts a few days, or even other coronaviruses,"

"...crockery in a restaurant was a potential source of infection because stainless steel is commonly used for cutlery."

"...on some surfaces, such as glass and paper banknotes, the virus was still there after one month."

"Experts said people were more likely to contract coronavirus through direct contact, such as someone sneezing or coughing near them. But someone can still be infected if they touch a contaminated surface before touching their face, nose or mouth, and potentially ingest the virus."

"... if someone who was infected with COVID-19 sneezed or coughed near a phone, the virus could stay on the phone for a long period if it wasn't cleaned properly." And it's exactly the same for eftpos machines and public transport, but there is obviously exposure to a lot more people there than just your own phone, where you are the only one that has close contact with it"

"We know that on surfaces like public transport, there has been a lot more cleaning of public spaces, because with effective cleaning you can remove the virus."