Put The Lysol Away: These New CDC Guidelines Indicate COVID-19 “Does Not Spread Easily” From Contaminated Surfaces Or Objects
Early on during the COVID-19 pandemic, lots of guesswork was going on by medical professionals about not only how to protect individuals against the coronavirus, but also about how the virus spreads. As health experts around the world had never dealt with this specific form of the coronavirus, they were relying solely on knowledge from previous outbreaks and germs to make their predictions.
The unknown nature of COVID-19 is one reason why there has been so much seemingly contradictory information floating around during this crisis. However, as more time has passed, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has had the ability to study this specific COVID-19 strain of coronaviruses and has recently released new information about how to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Early on, medical experts told the general public that the coronavirus could spread over contaminated surfaces rather easily. The CDC gave guidelines that people should keep groceries in their garage or outside of their homes for days so the virus would die. It also suggested that people should refrain from putting any items back on the shelf at the grocery store after touching them, in order to prevent any potential spread of the virus. Essentially, the CDC, as well as other government agencies from around the world, warned citizens of how easily COVID-19 could spread from one person to another based solely on touching an infected surface.
A study published in April 2020 by the New England Journal of Medicine indicated that COVID-19 could remain active and alive on contaminated surfaces for days. The problem with the study was that while the disease did remain alive after several days on plastic or steel surfaces, the study did not look into whether the disease could then be contracted by someone who touched the contaminated surface.
However, the latest round of information released by the CDC indicates this is not actually the case. According to the Center For Disease Control, it remains true that COVID-19 does spread via respiratory droplets released from the body when a person sneezes, coughs, breathes heavily, or even talks. However, while the virus can easily spread from one person to the next, it does not easily spread in non-airborne ways, such as from a contaminated surface.
Steeve Strange is the CEO and Co-Founder of The Scoop. Follow Steeve on Twitter @TheScoopSteeve, on Instagram @TheScoopSteeve, and on Facebook @TheScoopSteeve.
