I’ve heard reports that 17 days after anyone had been on the princess cruise ship they found the virus. But I read where what they found were snippets of RNA from the virus, not the virus. That seems to me to be what you’d expect to find. The virus is going to start breaking down on surfaces and this is what would be left. Is this information in any way scary or unexpected? Does this suggest that perhaps the virus lives far longer on surfaces than what is though right now (24 hours on cardboard, 3 days on plastic and stainless steel)?
Speaking of that last part…I know people that are buying groceries and leaving them for 3 days in the car (non perishables). Is this overkill? I understand the virus can last on surfaces, but what is the likelihood that someone who is asymptomatic but infectious touches a box that I’m going to touch and transfers enough of a viral load to then make me sick? Is the 24 hours/3 day measurement an average or the extreme? If the extreme, what is the median?
Aerosol. There are conflicting reports about transmission through aerosol. The WHO and CDC both say this is not a primary means of transmission. There are other reports this stuff hangs in the air for hours. I get that it can hang in the air for a long time, but some people (friends) are talking like this is a super scary fact and we should all be really worried about it. It seems to me that unless I’m directly facing someone and having a conversation with them, or they sneeze or cough on me, I have extremely little to worry about when it comes to transmission though normal breathing.
