A new study in the United Kingdom has found that a strain of virus similar to the Chinese communist virus (Neocoronavirus) that caused the COVID-19 outbreak can survive on several common fabrics used in the health care industry and spread to the surfaces of other items.
According to NTDTV, Katie Laird, a microbiologist at De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester, said in an interview, “When the outbreak first started, there was a lot of confusion about When the outbreak first started, people knew almost nothing about how long coronaviruses could survive on textiles.”
She went on to explain, “Our findings suggest that the three most commonly used textiles in the healthcare industry are at risk of transmitting this virus.” “If nurses and healthcare workers take their uniforms Home, they may leave traces of the virus on the surfaces of other items in their homes as well.”
Dr. Laird, who led the research team, conducted the study with virologist Maitreyi Shivkumar and postdoctoral researcher Lucy Owen.
The scientists’ research included testing a coronavirus model with a structure and survival mode very similar to that of SARS-CoV-2 by adding droplets to polyester, polycotton and 100 percent cotton, and then monitoring the stability of the virus on the different fabric materials.
The scientists warned in a study posted on the De Montfort University website that the results showed that between the three fabrics used in the test, polyester had the greatest risk of transmission – even after 72 hours – and could still spread to other surfaces.
In addition, the coronavirus used in the test remained on the droplet-contaminated cotton samples for up to 24 hours and on the polyester cotton fabric samples for only six hours. Polyester cotton fabric is a mixture of polyester and cotton, with varying percentages of each material, the most popular combination being 65 percent cotton and 35 percent polyester.
After completing this study, the team of scientists set out to find the most reliable way to wash the clothing in order to completely remove the virus from the contaminated fabric.
Dr. Laird said, “The next phase of our work is to evaluate the infection control risk of washing medical uniforms contaminated with coronavirus.”
She added, “Once we determine the survival rate of coronaviruses on each textile, we will turn our attention to determining the most reliable washing method for removing the virus.”
The study found that for the most commonly used textile for health care, 100 percent cotton, the virus was completely eliminated after the use of detergents and temperatures above 152.6 degrees Fahrenheit (67° Celsius).
The study states, “The researchers investigated the virus’ tolerance to a purely heated environment and found that coronavirus was stable in warm water (140 degrees Fahrenheit / 60° Celsius) but inactivated in hot water (152.6 degrees Fahrenheit / 67° Celsius).”
The team next looked at the risk of cross-contamination and found no risk of spreading the virus when clean items were washed with contaminated items.
Laird warned, “While we can see from the study that washing these materials at high temperatures, even in a household washing machine, does remove the virus, it does not eliminate the risk of contaminated clothing being able to leave coronavirus on the surface of other items in the Home or car before they are washed.”
The microbiologist suggested, “This study reinforces my recommendation that all uniforms for health care workers should be washed on site in a hospital or industrial laundry.” “If these cleaning methods are regulated and implemented, nurses and health care workers won’t have to worry about potentially taking the virus home with them.”
Laird said the results of the study have been shared with industry experts from the U.K., U.S. and Europe, and have received a positive response.
She said, “To prevent further transmission of coronavirus, textile and laundry associations around the world are implementing key messages from the Hygienic Washing Guidelines we provide on medical cleaning activities.”
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