How long can corona virus live on the phone?

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to spread, the telephone is also one of the agents that spread the virus.

"Phones are mobile germs. You have bacteria in your hands, hold them in your hands. Wash your hands then don't clean the phones, and the bacteria are still on it," said Dr. Charles Gerba, Professor of Microbiology. University of Arizona student, said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns you can get Covid-19 if you put your hands on your mouth, nose or eyes after touching the surface on which the SARS-CoV-2 virus attaches. Therefore, CDC advises people to clean and disinfect the surfaces that they touch with their hands every day.

Make sure you clean your phone regularly and properly.(Photo: CNET).

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the SARS-CoV virus that caused SARS in 2003 could survive on glass surfaces for up to 96 hours (4 days), on stainless steel and plastic surfaces in the dark. up to 72 hours (3 days).

Research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published on March 24 shows that the new strain of corona virus (SARS-CoV-2) can now survive on plastic and stainless steel surfaces for up to 72 hours (3). day).

While not experimenting with glass, the material used on displays on many smartphones, tablets and laptops today, scientists think the new virus could also exist for the same time as the previous SARS-CoV strain.

In fact, you can't "isolate" your phone to prevent viruses. Therefore, regular disinfection, hygiene smartphone is very important.

For safety, clean your phone after using it in public places. When you get home, wash your hands and disinfect your phone properly. If you do not clean the phone, your hands are still at risk of virus infection as usual.

If there's an urgent need to go out for a long time, consider using a disinfectant to wipe your phone, just like using a dry hand sanitizer. Avoid touching your face in public places, or after using your phone without washing your hands.

The phone is said to be dirtier than the toilet, so keeping hands and phones clean is important for health.(Photo: Android Police).

Besides spreading the infection through your hands, the smartphone screen can also be touched directly to your face whenever you answer the phone. Therefore, please clean the phone as often as possible.

With water resistant devices, you can make your own cleaning solution by mixing chemical alcohol with distilled water. Then spray the solution around the device, wipe with a cotton swab. Wear gloves when cleaning and wash your hands after finishing.

As for phones that are not waterproof, you need to be a bit more careful. You can use a soft cloth, dampen some solution or water and gently wipe around the device.

In addition to conventional surfaces, the NIH research shows that corona virus can survive on cardboard for up to 24 hours, copper for up to 4 hours and fine dust for up to 3 hours. It is time that the virus is capable of infection. After this estimated time, the virus decays and is no longer contagious.

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