Coronavirus remains active on the skin for nine hours

A handshake (illustration).

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Those who still doubt the usefulness of barrier gestures, such as avoiding shaking hands, will have in this study a counter argument to their position.

According to Japanese researchers, the coronavirus remains active on the skin for nine hours.

The study published this month in the journal

notably confirms the need to wash your hands frequently to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

Five times longer than the flu

In comparison, the pathogen that causes influenza survives on the skin for about 1.8 hours, which is five times shorter than the coronavirus.

"The nine hour survival of SARS-CoV-2 [the strain of the virus that causes Covid-19 disease] on human skin may increase the risk of transmission by contact compared to IAV [Influenza A Virus or influenza A], thus accelerating the pandemic, ”says the study.

Importantly, both the coronavirus and the influenza virus are inactivated within 15 seconds by the application of ethanol, used in hand sanitizers.

The study therefore supports the recommendations of the World Health Organization for regular and thorough washing of hands in order to limit the transmission of the virus.

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