"Omicron Survival Ability 2 to 6 Times Higher on Surfaces Compared to Previous Coronavirus"... Research Results

"High Stability and Survivability in External Environments"

Citizens waiting to get tested at the temporary screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza. Photo by Asia Economy

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] A study has found that the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus can survive on surfaces for more than 7 days. This is at least twice as long as the original COVID-19 virus.

Recently, a joint research team from the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Immunology and Infection Center, and the HKU-Pasteur Research Institute sprayed the original COVID-19 virus and the Omicron variant onto stainless steel, polypropylene, glass, tissue paper, and regular paper at room temperature of 21?22°C and observed their survival.

The results showed that the Omicron variant survived 2 to 6 times longer on surfaces compared to the original COVID-19 virus. The original virus survived 2 days on stainless steel and polypropylene, 4 days on glass, 15 minutes on tissue paper, and 5 minutes on regular paper. In contrast, Omicron survived more than 7 days on most surfaces except tissue paper and regular paper.

Additionally, the amount of Omicron remaining on stainless steel, plastic, and glass on the 7th day was 1.46 to 1.91 times greater than the amount of the original COVID-19 virus present on the same surfaces after only 2 days.

The image of the COVID-19 virus captured by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). / Photo by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Earlier in January, a research team from Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine in Japan also conducted laboratory experiments on major COVID-19 variants. The team sprayed the original COVID-19 virus and major variants of concern (VoC) ? Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron ? onto plastic and cadaver skin tissue and stored them at 25°C.

The observations showed that the original COVID-19 virus survived about 56 hours on plastic. Alpha survived 191.3 hours, Beta 156.6 hours, Gamma 59.3 hours, and Delta 114 hours, all more than three times longer than the original virus. Omicron was still detectable after 193.5 hours (8 days).

On skin, the original COVID-19 virus was detectable after 8.6 hours. Alpha survived 19.6 hours, Beta 19.1 hours, Gamma 11.0 hours, and Delta 16.8 hours, with all except Gamma lasting more than twice as long. Omicron was still detectable on cadaver skin tissue after 21.1 hours.

The research team speculated that Omicron’s high stability in external environments helped it replace the previously dominant Delta variant and spread rapidly.

However, the stronger survival of Omicron on surfaces or skin does not appear to significantly impact infection spread, as most COVID-19 infections occur through airborne droplets rather than surface contact.

Lindsey Marr, an environmental engineering and aerosol expert at Virginia Tech, told CNN, "The virus is mostly transmitted by inhaling airborne droplets or aerosols (tiny particles suspended in the air), and direct transmission through surfaces is less common. Also, real-world environments are not as favorable to the virus as laboratory conditions."

She added, "However, if the virus is stable enough to survive long on surfaces, it likely has stronger transmissibility in the air as well. That said, it’s not necessary to clean everything obsessively; the most important measures are ventilation and handwashing. Washing hands can prevent the virus on surfaces or hands from infecting through the nose or mouth."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.