The virus that causes Covid-19 can survive on banknotes, glass and stainless steel for up to 28 days, much longer than the flu virus, according to a new study.
Researchers at Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, found that the Sars-Cov-2 virus remained infectious for 28 days on smooth surfaces such as plastic banknotes and glass found on mobile phone screens.
By comparison, Influenza A virus has been found to survive on surfaces for 17 days. The study was published in Virology Journal.
CSIRO's research involved drying virus in an artificial mucus on a range of surfaces at concentrations similar to samples from Covid-19 patients and then extracting the virus after a month.