SARS-2 Coronavirus Stable for Hours on Surfaces

The virus that causes COVID-19 is stable for several hours to days in aerosols and on surfaces, according to a new study from NIAID, CDC, UCLA and Princeton University scientists in The New England Journal of Medicine. The scientists found that SARS-CoV-2 was detectable in aerosols for up to three hours, up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel. The results provide key information about the stability of SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19 disease, and suggests that people may acquire the virus through the air and after touching contaminated objects. The study information was widely shared during the past two weeks after the researchers placed the contents on a preprint server to quickly share their data with colleagues.