(WHDH) — The novel coronavirus can survive on some types of clothing and transmit to other surfaces for up to 72 hours, according to a new study.
Researchers at De Montfort University in England say they found that traces of the virus can remain infectious for up to three days on fabrics commonly used in the healthcare industry, including polyester, polycotton, and 100 percent cotton.
The research involved adding droplets of a model coronavirus called HCoV-OC43, which has a very similar structure and survival pattern to the strain that causes COVID-19, to the three particular fabrics, the university said.
Polyester poses the highest risk for transmission of the virus, with infectious virus still present after three days that could transfer to other surfaces, according to researchers. The virus lasted for 24 hours on 100 percent cotton, and it survived for six hours on polycotton.
“When the pandemic first started, there was very little understanding of how long coronavirus could survive on textiles,” said Dr Katie Laird, Head of the Infectious Disease Research Group at DMU. “Our findings show that three of the most commonly used textiles in healthcare pose a risk for transmission of the virus. If nurses and healthcare workers take their uniforms home, they could be leaving traces of the virus on other surfaces.”
Researchers noted that the agitation and dilution effect of the water in all of the washing machines that they tested was enough to remove the virus.
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