The virus's RNA, part of the genetic material within a virus, can persist up to a month in dust, according to a study carried out in rooms where patients with COVID-19 were isolated.
He study It did not evaluate whether the dust can transmit the virus to humans. However, it could offer another option for monitoring COVID-19 outbreaks in specific buildings.
Way to monitor buildings
For this study, the research team worked with teams responsible for room cleaning in the state of Ohio, where students who tested positive for COVID-19 were isolated.
The study, published in mSystems magazine, found that some of the genetic material at the heart of the virus persists in the dust, although the envelope around the virus is likely to break down sooner.
They found genetic material from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the virus that causes COVID-19, in 97% of the dust samples.
The studio offers another non-invasive route to monitor buildings for COVID-19 outbreaks, especially as more people get vaccinated and return to common spaces.
Monitoring dust, then, could offer insight similar to that obtained when analyzing a city's wastewater.
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The news
Coronavirus RNA can persist for up to a month in room dust
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.