Coronavirus can survive on common materials for hours or even days. Here's what you need to know and how to protect yourself. George Petras, Ramon Padilla, and Karina Zaiets, USA TODAY
Tiny, infected water droplets that drift in the air or land on surfaces have multiplied into a global pandemic.
Typically, an infected person's cough or sneeze spreads SARS-CoV-2 – the coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19, a highly contagious respiratory illness.
To slow the rising number of infections – tens of thousands of Americans have been infected since Jan. 20 – researchers are looking for the coronavirus' limits. Just how long can it last outside the human body?
According to the New England Journal of Medicine, here's how long the virus could live on a variety of surfaces.
The report also noted the half-life, or rate of decay, of the virus on various materials. That's the time it took for half of the virus sample to die.
The decay rate is important because though the virus may linger on surfaces for days, people are less likely to become infected as the virus dies.
Source: USA Today.