Can covid-19 survive inside refrigerators for years?
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| Photo credit: Erik Mclean @introspectivedsgn @unsplash Can covid-19 survive inside refrigerators for years? | @healthbiztips |
Can covid-19 survive inside refrigerators for years?
@healthbiztips by Arlene Gentallan | Health blog
Cold and dry, refrigerators create the perfect environment to prolong the viability of SARS-CoV-2, the official name of the virus that causes covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019).
Although there are worrying concerns that refrigerators can be a reservoir of coronavirus for years, we can only surmise through a prior research done on SARS coronavirus (which belongs to the same family of coronaviruses as covid-19) that it can last for up to 28 days inside a refrigerator.
However, it is worth noting that the research mentioned above was way back in 2010 so there is obviously a need for an update.
Refrigerators provide a favorable environment to coronavirus since it has low humidity and temperature less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Since coronavirus can survive for about a month inside a refrigerator, it is important to disinfect food packages and thoroughly clean items before you chill them.
In comparison, SARS-coV-2 can last on copper for 4 hours, 24 hours on cardboard, 3 days on stainless steel and plastic, 4 days on wood, and 5 days on metal surfaces.
