Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

June 23, 2020

Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in the Environment and COVID-19 Transmission Risk from Environmental Matrices and Surfaces

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  • Carraturo et al. reviewed the survival of SARS-CoV-2 in the environment and found that survival of the virus is likely to be very low in contaminated food, on inanimate surfaces, and in water, wastewater, sludge, or bio-solid waste contaminated by feces. They note that while transmission risks may be higher for some occupational groups (e.g., wastewater treatment workers), with appropriate PPE use and disinfection protocols this risk becomes very low.  

Carraturo et al. (June 2020). Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in the Environment and COVID-19 Transmission Risk from Environmental Matrices and Surfaces. Environmental Pollution. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115010