Covid-19 can survive on clothing for up to 72 hours

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Covid-19 can survive on clothing for up to THREE DAYS – polyester clothing supporting virus longest, scientists warn

  • De Montfort University (DMU) added droplets of a model virus to tissues
  • It survives on polyester for 3 days, cotton for 2 days and polycotton for 6 hours
  • Researchers advise that all healthcare uniforms be washed to industry standards
  • Warn that washing with detergent at least 67 ° C can kill the virus in the home but the virus may rub off on other surfaces beforehand

By Joe Pinkstone For Mailonline

Posted: | Update:

Coronaviruses similar to Covid-19 can survive on clothing for up to three days, new research shows.

Research by De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester looked at the behavior of a coronavirus on three tissues commonly used in the healthcare industry.

Polyester allows the virus to survive infectious levels for up to 72 hours, while it dies in 24 hours on 100% cotton.

However, coronaviruses can only survive on a polycotton hybrid for six hours, according to the study.

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Coronaviruses similar to Covid-19 can survive on clothing for up to three days, new study finds (file photo)

Coronaviruses similar to Covid-19 can survive on clothing for up to three days, new study finds (file photo)

The study used a coronavirus model called HCoV-OC43 which is very similar to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

Droplets were added to polyester, polycotton, and cotton to see how long the virus lasted on these surfaces.

The results are concerning, say the researchers, because if the live virus adheres to the clothes of healthcare workers, it could be carried from hospital to staff homes and rub off on various surfaces, allowing it to spread.

Microbiologist Dr Katie Laird, who led the study, informed the government that all healthcare uniforms should be washed in hospitals to commercial standards or in an industrial laundry.

Dr Laird, head of the infectious disease research group at DMU, ​​said: ‘When the pandemic started, there was very little understanding of how long the coronavirus could survive on textiles.

“Our results show that three of the most common textiles used in healthcare pose a risk of transmitting the virus.

“If nurses and health care workers take their uniforms home, they could leave traces of the virus on other surfaces.

It wasn't until a detergent was used and the water was at least 67 ° C that the virus was completely inactivated, but researchers say all healthcare uniforms should be washed as per standards. industrial equipment and not be taken home by staff.

It wasn’t until a detergent was used and the water was at least 67 ° C that the virus was completely inactivated, but researchers say all healthcare uniforms should be washed as per standards. industrial and not to be taken home by staff.

Loss of smell and taste can last for up to FIVE MONTHS after infection with Covid-19

Recovered Covid patients who have lost their sense of smell and taste after being infected with the coronavirus may not see their senses return for five months.

Anosmia, the loss or alteration of smell and taste, is officially recognized as a symptom of coronavirus infection.

Data from the Bureau of National Statistics shows that half of coronavirus patients show symptoms, with 16% and 17% of them experiencing some form of loss of smell and taste, respectively.

Researchers at the University of Quebec studied 813 healthcare workers who contracted Covid-19.

More than a third (38 percent) of those who lost their minds had not fully recovered their taste after five months.

Public Health England (PHE) issued guidelines in 2020 that healthcare workers’ uniforms should be laundered to industry standards.

However, there is an exception to this if this is deemed impossible.

The NHS says that a home wash of at least 60 ° C is good and able to get rid of pathogens.

However, Dr Laird warns that these NHS recommendations are based on evidence dating back 14 years and require urgent consideration.

The researchers tested the NHS advice on 100% cotton, the most common textile used in a healthcare environment.

When the virus was mixed with artificial saliva, researchers found that home washing machines may not remove all of the virus.

It was only when a detergent was used and the water was at least 67 ° C that the virus was completely inactivated.

“ While we can see from research that washing these materials at high temperatures, even in a home washing machine, removes the virus, it does not eliminate the risk that contaminated clothing will leave traces of coronavirus. on other surfaces of the house or car before washing them.

“We now know that the virus can survive for up to 72 hours on some textiles and that it can transfer to other surfaces as well.

“This research reinforced my recommendation that all healthcare uniforms should be washed on-site in hospitals or in an industrial laundry.

“These washing methods are regulated and nurses and healthcare workers do not have to worry about potentially bringing the virus home.



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