New Study Shows Coronavirus Can Remain Active on Human Skin for 9 Hours: 5 Times More Than The Common Flu Virus

The Covid-19 pandemic has upended life as we know it.

You can no longer flash your beautiful smile to the bus driver taking you to work, our passports have become as useless a moderator during a Donald Trump debate, and hand washing after using the bathroom is now strongly encouraged.

Reader: Uh, washing your hands after using the bathroom was always encouraged

Oh, right. Of course.

While we look to lockdowns and masks as the first lines of defence against the coronavirus, handwashing remains a crucial part of the fight.

And now a new study has shown that it might be more important than anyone thought.

New Study Shows Coronavirus Can Remain Active on Human Skin for 9 Hours: 5 Times More Than The Common Flu Virus

The coronavirus remains active on human skin for nine hours, five times more than the common flu virus, according to a new study published this month in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal.

The pathogen that causes the flu virus, on the other hand, can only survive on human skin for about 1.8 hours.

Researchers noted that this may increase the risk of contact transmission for Covid-19, thus accelerating the pandemic.

Japanese researchers tested skin samples collected from autopsy specimens, about a day after they died.

One characteristic that both viruses share is that they are inactivated within 15 seconds by applying ethanol, which is used in hand sanitisers.

This shows the need for frequent handwashing and good hand hygiene.

“The longer survival of Sars-CoV-2 on the skin increases contact-transmission risk; however, hand hygiene can reduce this risk,” the study said.

We Touch Our Face 23 Times an Hour

Now, you’re probably thinking, why do I need to wash my hands? I’ll just wear a mask and avoid touching my face. 

The problem is that humans, on average, touch their face 23 times an hour.

Yes, an hour. 

And even if your nose and mouth are covered, it’s possible to contract the coronavirus by touching your eyes.

Moreover, according to Water Aid, hand washing has been shown to reduce cases of all respiratory diseases by 20% and diarrhea by 30%.

This is why washing your hands frequently is so important during the pandemic.

If you’re in public, and you’ve just touched an item or surface that may be frequently touched by other people, such as door handles, tables, or shopping carts, avoid touching your face and look for a restroom where you can wash your hands.

But you have to do it the right way, of course.

No Need For Anti-bacterial Soap

Along with all the hand sanitiser and face masks you’ve been hoarding, you’ve probably also been buying lots of antibacterial soap.

Except there’s no evidence to suggest that it works better than regular soap.

Covid-19 caused by a virus after all; so while antibacterial soap might kill some bacteria, it will not kill viruses.

Instead, just use regular soap and wash thoroughly for at least 20 seconds.

And remember to follow the 8 steps designed to rid your hands of all germs, bacteria, and viruses:

And you can watch this video on why mask-wearing is just as important (also, please subscribe to our YouTube channel for more informative videos!):