Currently, the emergence of a new human coronavirus, called 2019-nCoV, has become a global health problem causing serious respiratory tract infections in humans. Human-to-human transmissions have been described with incubation times between 2-10 days, probably facilitated by its spread through droplets, hands or contaminated surfaces. We therefore reviewed the literature on all available information on the persistence of human and veterinary coronaviruses on inanimate surfaces, as well as on inactivation strategies with biocidal agents used for chemical disinfection, e.g. in healthcare facilities. Analysis from 22 studies reveals that human coronaviruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS) or endemic human coronaviruses (HCoV) can persist on inanimate surfaces such as metal, glass or plastic for up to 9 days, but can be efficiently inactivated by surface disinfection procedures with 62-71% ethanol, 0.5% hydrogen peroxide or 0.1% sodium hypochlorite within 1 minute. Other biocidal agents such as 0.05-0.2% benzalkonium chloride or 0.02% chlorhexidine digluconate are less effective. Since no specific therapies are available for 2019-nCoV, early containment and prevention of further spread will be crucial to stop the ongoing epidemic and control this new infectious thread.
Conclusions: Human coronaviruses can remain infectious on inanimate surfaces for up to 9 days. Surface disinfection with 0.1% sodium hypochlorite or 62-71% ethanol significantly reduces the infectivity of coronavirus on surfaces within 1 minute of exposure. We expect a similar effect against 2019-nCoV.
To date there is no remedy, only prevention.
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