We still don’t know if COVID-19 can be spread by touching surfaces ―WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Saturday it was still unknown if COVID-19 could be contracted or spread by touching of objects’ surfaces.

In its safety guidelines released recently, the United Nations agency recommended that people disinfect objects.

The guidelines reference a study that showed the virus could survive on the outside of a medical face mask for up to seven days.

But the WHO also noted that studies about the ability of the virus to survive should be viewed with some skepticism since such studies are conducted in laboratories with little bearing on real-world conditions.

In the study, the virus survived on stainless steel and plastic for four days, on glass for two and on fabric and wood for one.

Another study showed it surviving for four hours on copper, 24 hours on cardboard and 72 hours on plastic and stainless steel.

READ ALSO: NCDC admits error in its COVID-19 report on Akwa Ibom

Although there have been no cases to date of people catching the virus from a surface, such transmission can’t be ruled out given the behaviour of other known viruses.

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