Here's how long the coronavirus can live in the air and on packages

[Native]

The contagious coronavirus can survive on a cardboard delivery box for at least a day and lives even longer on steel and plastic.

The germ survived longest on plastic and stainless steel, where it clung for as long as three days, according to Vincent Munster and a team at the National Institutes of Health virology laboratory in Hamilton, Montana, who describe their experiments in a new preprint.

Munster and his coworkers say spreading via the air likely explains “super spreader” events like one that appears to have occurred in Boston, where more than 70 people are believed to have been infected at a conference held by the biotechnology company Biogen.

The scientists looked at how long the virus lived on different materials, and also as it swirled in an air chamber. After waiting a few hours or days, they wiped the surfaces and checked to see if they could still infect cells in a petri dish.

Materials the virus liked best were stainless steel and plastic, where infectious germs could still be collected after three days and might endure quite a bit longer. It liked copper least: the virus was gone after just four hours. Swished around in the air chamber, the germs remained for about three hours.

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615348/heres-how-long-the-coronavirus-can-stay-in-the-air-and-on-packages/?utm_medium=tr_social&utm_campaign=site_visitor.unpaid.engagement&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1583951880

[Dem2theMax]

1. I probably shouldn't have read this.

But I've really been wondering about exactly how long it can survive on these surfaces.

Thank you for posting. I think.

[TheBlackAdder]

21. I laugh at the people wiping down shopping carts. Like that's where you're gonna catch it in a store

[milestogo]

22. Why is that funny to you?

[TheBlackAdder]

40. It's just one of 100 places in a supermarket you'll catch anything.

[milestogo]

73. But its a pretty obvious place where every single shopper puts their hands.

[Ms. Toad]

25. Do you think people who are contagious don't go shopping?

Of course you are going to catch it in the store, or from the back of the seat in public transportation, or door handles, etc. You are going to catch it from any surface a germy hand has touched that hasn't been disinfected (or had enough time pass to kill whatever germs collected there).

[Hermit-The-Prog]

27. add in: surfaces someone infected has coughed on

IIUC, people can be asymptomatic and still be spreading it.

The stealthiness and durability of this virus is worrisome to me.

[TheBlackAdder]

43. Everything you touch in a supermarket has snot on it--everything!

[Ms. Toad]

52. So because it is inevitable, you shouldn't wipe down the cart handle?

Or because germs will constantly land on my hands, even immediatly after I wash my hands, you should laugh at me washing my hands?

[Dem2theMax]

29. No words.

[dmr]

34. I always wipe the handle of my cart if the wipes are available.

Every little bit helps. You don't know who handled the cart last.

As Ben Franklin would say? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

[TheBlackAdder]

41. Nor the person working the stock room, handling the packages, the money, the produce, etc.

[littlemissmartypants]

45. I guess you've never seen a parent drag their baby's poopie

Diapered bottom across the handle of the shopping cart while placing them in or retrieving them from one of those carts. Covid -19 isn't the only pathogen out in the environment and there are many people who have autoimmune illness that like to try and mitigate getting deathly ill.

Good luck maintaining your laughter if you get so sick you can't breathe for coughing. I wish you the best. Even if I find your words disheartening. Good luck.

[TheBlackAdder]

49. I've seen everything. And everything in a store has people's biofilm on it--everything.

[littlemissmartypants]

53. Good for you.

Not all "biofilm" are created equally. Just like people, some are more evil than others.

[rainin]

66. I wish I hadn't seen this

I try to believe people who laugh at others, who are trying to survive, don't exist. Unfortunately, they do. Oh well

[TheBlackAdder]

68. Not actually laughing, but thinking, what's the point? It's more of a placebo.

[Nature Man]

85. agreed

There's one outcome no one can control: we die. We all die eventually. It's the vanity of humanity acting as if we have the ultimate power and the ultimate say.

[homegirl]

67. And I probably

shouldn't have read this...


AGE DEATH RATE confirmed cases

80+ years old 14.8%
70-79 years old 8.0%
60-69 years old 3.6%
50-59 years old 1.3%
40-49 years old 0.4%
30-39 years old 0.2%
20-29 years old 0.2%
10-19 years old 0.2%
0-9 years old no fatalities

Scheduled for necessary surgery Monday at 84+ facing hospital procedure at almost 85! Hope I make it.

[mtngirl47]

72. Take care and best wishes for your surgery and recovery!

[peacebuzzard]

79. Get well quickly,

Thanks for letting us know.

[mcar]

83. Good luck!

[Skittles]

95. you will be fine, homegirl

believe it: yes indeed

report back to us - there is always someone on DU and we care

[elleng]

2. 'Thanks'

[customerserviceguy]

3. I figured

that most experts were basing their estimates of the hardiness and transmissibility of this virus on previously known coronaviruses, and not on actual research, such as Dr. Munster has been doing. Hats off to him and his team for using real science to answer the questions that are on everybody's minds these days.

Hopefully, this will put a stop to the "masks are useless for the general public, stop hoarding them so we can get them" crap I hear out of public health officials.

[Native]

10. That was the biggest lie ever. I mean China has been dealing with viruses like it's a daily ritual..

All of their posters recommend masks. Yes, they aren't 100% effective, but they do cut down on the droplets you are exposed to. And all this bullshit about not having enough masks - Asian countries are providing them to other countries now to help out. Cheap, paper disposable masks should be made available to every household in America. All we are getting out of this administration is obfuscation and bullshit. Fuck them all!

[Danascot]

55. Regarding masks

Feds say we have a national stockpile of 12M N95 masks and 30M surgical masks (which are not ideal, but better than nothing).

There are about 18M healthcare workers in the US. Let’s assume only 6M HCW are working on any given day. (This is likely an underestimate as most people work most days of the week, but again, I’m playing conservative at every turn.)

As COVID19 cases saturate virtually every state and county, which seems likely to happen any day now, it will soon be irresponsible for all HCWs to not wear a mask. These HCWs would burn through N95 stockpile in 2 days if each HCW only got ONE mask per day.

One per day would be neither sanitary nor pragmatic, though this is indeed what we saw in Wuhan, with HCWs collapsing on their shift from dehydration because they were trying to avoid changing their PPE suits as they cannot be reused.

How quickly could we ramp up production of new masks? Not very fast at all. The vast majority are manufactured overseas, almost all in China. Even when manufactured here in US, the raw materials are predominantly from overseas... again, predominantly from China.

Keep in mind that all countries globally will be going through the exact same crises and shortages simultaneously. We can’t force trade in our favor.

This is from a very enlightening (but discouraging) post on DU recently:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213067130

[Native]

64. Was it Korea that just sent a ton of masks to Italy?

I can't remember. It was in the mainstream news like yesterday or the day before. We're all so fucked anyway. Even the respirator masks aren't that effective. They only filter to .3 microns, and supposedly the virus is .2? At least from what I've read. Maybe that's why the study that the CDC referenced (when they changed their policy to say that professionals can now wear surgical masks when treating infected patients) said that surgical masks were as effective as respirator masks (because they're equally ineffective?). Everything about this virus is absolutely insane.

[Danascot]

93. That's bad

Real bad.

I hadn't heard that.

[Native]

94. China Is Now Sending Doctors, Masks and Hazmat Suits to Help Italy With Its Coronavirus Outbreak

Includes contracts for 10,000 pulmonary ventilators, 2 million face masks, and 20,000 protective suits.

And yet we don't have jack.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/akwage/china-is-now-sending-doctors-masks-and-hazmat-suits-to-help-italy-with-its-coronavirus-outbreak

[uppityperson]

14. Those of us caring for ill and fragile people are having difficulties finding masks to

keep them and us safe. What you call "crap" is serious, life threatening for me and my patients.

Don't touch your face with unsanitized hands. Stay home if sick. For the majority of period, wearing a mask won't help because droplets will enter through your eyes, or by self inoculation by touching your nose or eyes.

How will a mask help prevent transmission from a surface to your face? Seriously, how?

[customerserviceguy]

16. The answer

is to produce and distribute more of them. I have a problem with the double message being sent, that's why I call it crap. "That's no good for you, gimmie that (so I can use it)!" is not an acceptable or believable way to deal with this.

We're holed up, with nothing other than masks left over from my lady's surgery from a few months ago. We're not part of the problem, we're part of the solution.

I suppose the eye thing is possible, but most pathogens get into the body through respiration.

[uppityperson]

17. Congrats, you learn something today.

Euro cdc

https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/novel-coronavirus-china/questions-answers

Prevention
1. How can I avoid getting infected?
The virus enters your body via your eyes, nose and/or mouth, so it is important to avoid touching your face with unwashed hands.

Washing of hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or cleaning hands with alcohol-based solutions, gels or tissues is recommended in all settings.

It is important to note that people who are infected but who do not (yet) have symptoms are not believed to be infectious.

2. What should I do if I have had close contact with someone who has COVID-19?
Notify public health authorities in your area who will provide guidance on further steps to take. If you develop any symptoms, you should immediately call your healthcare provider for advice, mentioning that you have been in contact with someone with COVID-19.

3. Are face masks effective in protecting against COVID-19?
If you are infected, the use of surgical face masks may reduce the risk of your infecting other people, but there is no evidence that face masks will effectively prevent you from being infected with the virus. In fact, it is possible that the use of face masks may even increase the risk of infection due to a false sense of security and increased contact between hands, mouth and eyes.

Yes, more masks are needed. We don't have them, so please leave them for those in severe need.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html#spreads

CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a facemask to protect themselves from respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19. You should only wear a mask if a healthcare professional recommends it. A facemask should be used by people who have COVID-19 and are showing symptoms. This is to protect others from the risk of getting infected. The use of facemasks also is crucial for health workers and other people who are taking care of someone infected with COVID-19 in close settings (at home or in a health care facility).

[Native]

38. This is cray.

I have read a gazillion times that the virus can be spread by people who are asymptomatic:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/as-coronavirus-spreads-many-questions-and-some-answers-2020022719004#q4
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/transmission.html

[uppityperson]

39. Cdc and WA doh said half of the people who catch it can have no symptoms

And be contagious. It's nuts, widespread.

There are some who are at risk of severe illness and or death, but many may not know they had it.

[uppityperson]

18. You answer to "How will a mask help prevent transmission from a surface to your face" is

make more masks?

[customerserviceguy]

19. It's not an answer

to your sub-question, but I feel it is an answer to the big picture.

We have people making hand sanitizer out of whatever will work, we need to increase the production and distribution of masks, if that's what people want.

Trying to tell people that something doesn't work just so you can have it for yourself and your colleagues is just going to build mistrust. I'd like to see Trump as the only one who looks like a weasel in this situation.

[uppityperson]

26. You'd rather have healthy people eating up resources than hospitals caring for the ill

Rather than nursing homes having adequate masks to limit spread between their old and fragile residents and staff, you want healthy people who have minimal exposure to have them.

Resources are limited. Masks are needed by those who are exposing themselves intensely.

I will understand distrusting gvt provided info, believe me. They really screwed the pooch on this one. However, after reading multiple sites a couple times daily, including foreign cdc's and what has /hasn't worked, after talking with many colleagues at local and state level ( yay WA), I've been also learning a lot, and it's difficult to keep up with.

We needed a faster response. The virus is widespread. With increased testing expect #s to soar. I expect eventually add that 1/2-1/3 of us will have had it. Half the people who get it are without symptoms yet still contagious. Death rates increase 60-80 yrs old, over 80 it goes up very fast. Children's death rates are much lower. Anyone of any age who is immunocompromised is at high risk, as anyone at any age with fragile health or preexisting medical health conditions.

If the number of people needing hospitalization at any time does not exceed the number of hospital beds, staff, equipment needed to keep them alive while they heal, this would be great.

[customerserviceguy]

28. I'm not hoarding them

I'm not sure why you want to blame me, personally, for people buying them up.

We've shown with Prohibition, and today, with the War on Drugs, that people are going to get what they want, no matter how much experts say they shouldn't have it. Ramping up production is the only way to deal with that desire to acquire. It's just human nature, and nobody is going to shame anybody out of it.

Masks may not be 100% effective, but they will flatten out the curve. That's what benefits everybody.

[uppityperson]

37. I'm not blaming you personally beyond trying to counter the "Crap" statement

"Hopefully, this will put a stop to the "masks are useless for the general public, stop hoarding them so we can get them" crap I hear out of public health officials."

However, if a young healthy John Doe decides he needs a mask more than people caring for the ill or most at risk group, I will get frustrated and perhaps even tetchy.

Same goes for a young healthy Jane Doe who is at minimal risk of getting sick from this yet refuses to use simple habits of handwshing and covering get mouth if she coughs and infects others who are at risk.

[customerserviceguy]

50. It's nice

that you are wise enough to determine who gets protected and who doesn't. Good luck selling that to everybody else out there.

People tend to resist social triaging of their needs, in my experience. Supply is the only cure for demand. I don't have any problem with differential pricing, it would be perfectly fine with me if John or Jane Doe's purchase of a mask funds three or four masks for health care workers. It might even be a solution to the problem, rather than telling people that they cannot have what they feel they need, and are going to get anyway.

[uppityperson]

57. I was going to apologize for snark in my reply up a coupke

but will simply say goodbye for now with one last agreement and an observation.

More supply is needed. Healthcare workers will limit who they care for when they run out of supplies.

Have a pleasant day.

[customerserviceguy]

58. Thank you. n/t

[Native]

44. I'm pretty sure our gov was talking about the respirator masks...

when they were concerned about the public buying them up and there not being enough to go around for our medical professionals. A couple of days ago they changed their guidelines, and are now saying that regular surgical masks are, based on a study, just as effective as the respirator masks, and medical professionals can start wearing those instead. The story changes daily. What was once ineffective is now all of a sudden very effective.

Bottom line on the nonprofessionals wearing masks: If you are sick, it helps to halt the spread, and if you are healthy and wearing one, you are less likely to touch your face or inhale droplets from an infected person. Yes the infection can enter through the sides of the mask and anywhere there is a slight gap, but you are still reducing your level of exposure.

[jberryhill]

84. Wow

Last edited Wed Mar 11, 2020, 08:18 PM - Edit history (1)

Just wow.

We need health care workers more than we need you.

The same goes for me too.

Suggesting that health care workers are being selfish is outstanding.

[customerserviceguy]

90. It's not that

I consider them selfish, it's that I think they're putting out misinformation (masks are no good) while wanting the masks themselves, because they do work. It sounds like the doublespeak that I expect to get from politicians, especially GOP ones.

It's one thing to say that we need to prioritize a commodity for groups A, B, and C, and yet another to say that the commodity is worthless for groups D through Z, when we know that there will be at least a minimal benefit to those groups, too.

Masks are not a prescription item, therefore, the health care industry does not have complete control over access to them, like they do with prescription medications. Using untruths to gain that control over the supply is not helping people trust the science.

I see that even your laughing cow has managed to snag a mask.

[CTyankee]

46. I have latex gloves for my house cleaner to wear but I have no mask. I am hoping the agency

provides one to her.

[jberryhill]

86. Question

If you are pretty much staying at home, why on earth would you want to have someone coming to visit you on a regular basis who has been cleaning other homes?

You are certainly more likely to be infected by her bringing it into your home, than you are likely to protect her from catching it in your home.

You might want to consider not having people who have been cleaning other peoples’ homes into yours, for the time being.

[CTyankee]

88. It is called a calculated risk. But I will call the agency tomorrow about it.

The agency is a nonprofit that trains workers specifically for working in older people's homes. They might be giving her a mask.

If she is cleaning and doing laundry wearing gloves that belong to us and have only been used in our home, how is she spreading a virus to us? If anything, this is protection for HER. She does not come with her own supplies or equipment. We supply all the products she uses.

[jberryhill]

89. " how is she spreading a virus to us?"

By breathing.

Viruses don’t spread by somehow spontaneously issuing forth from people’s hands.

This is a respiratory infection. It is present in the moist tissues of the respiratory tract - the mouth, the nose, the throat, the lungs.

The reason why you don’t want to touch other peoples’ hands is that they have touched their mouth and nose with their hands. They have coughed into their hands. They have wiped snot with their hands. They have wiped saliva with their hands. They have bit their nails, scratched their nostrils and picked their noses.

Peoples’ hands only carry the infection because it came from their nose and mouth. When they cough and sneeze, they create a cloud of fine mist that you can’t even see. That mist carries thousands of tiny droplets that are like hot air balloons for the virus to ride.

That happens during ordinary respiration. Breathe on a mirror. Do you see the mirror fog? Do you understand that you are normally exhaling a very fine fog. So is everyone else. That fog carries virii.

The reason you are told not to touch your face is because you have touched surfaces that other people have touched after touching their mouth or nose, or into which droplets have settled from ordinary respiration.

Someone who has been exposed to others, becomes infected, and doesn’t know it, can infect you by walking into your house and BREATHING.

But since she is going to be breathing and, I guarantee you, touching her face with the gloves, coughing, sneezing, sweating, and scratching itches, then providing her with a pair of gloves is pretty much pointless.

And if we are talking about reusable gloves, then there is not much point at all.

It’s unclear what you are trying to accomplish with the gloves.

[CTyankee]

91. the mask is for those droplets you talk about. And it is basically for the same reason a surgeon

wears a mask during surgery.

If she is coughing and showing symptoms, I guarantee she will not be working that day at our house or any others.

Gloves will protect her in case we already have the virus lurking around. She is using strong detergent and cleaning supplies as she cleans. When she finishes, she washes her gloved hands in the same liquid cleansers used in house cleaning and leaves them behind.

[jberryhill]

92. " If she is coughing and showing symptoms"

If she has no symptoms and is breathing, she can be transmitting the virus.

People cough, clear their throat, and otherwise bring up mucous all of the time. Your lungs are lined with cilia which are constantly moving fluid toward your trachea. Every now and then, you clear your throat. You do it reflexively, without even noticing, when you speak after a long period of not speaking, because of the little pool of mucous that has been brought up to your trachea.

If you were planning on speaking with her, and clearing your throat before you speak, then gloves aren’t relevant.

[CTyankee]

96. I get that, jberryhill. Of course, I am speaking with her. I am not stupid.

I did not know you were a physician. Silly me.

[jberryhill]

97. I did not say you were stupid, nor did I say I was a physician

I responded to a question about how one spreads infections while wearing gloves.

My marginally relevant experience is in semiconductor electronic manufacture in clean room environments. In order to keep submicron-sized particles down to a low enough level to make semiconductor devices, one learns quite about about how humans are constantly shedding all kinds of materials.

If you are speaking with her, everytime she pronounces a plosive consonant (p, t, d, k, b, g), a plume of bodily fluid from her upper respiratory tract is released toward your face. That is a simple fact, regardless of whatever academic or professional qualifications one might have.

[Hortensis]

30. Real science is a real thing and far more widespread

than this novel virus is yet. No need for "hats off" to people just doing their job studying this brand-new virus or to disparage experts stepping into the breach with knowledge they feel is better than none.

[customerserviceguy]

33. I just wish to express

my admiration for people who are doing this, whether or not they know that I am appreciative.

[Hortensis]

36. :) Me too. I'm a huge admirer of experts and their expertise.

And always grateful for their contributions.

[Dennis Donovan]

4. Tough little feller for something that looks like a cat toy

[Dem2]

8. Well, that IS a cat toy

Seems the real virus isn't as cuddly

[Dennis Donovan]

20. I dunno, they look like indigo suns in a pink sky

I fixed it so it's not so scary now:

[Dem2]

23. Lol

[klook]

74. "Picture yourself in a boat in a bloodstream"... (nt)

[Dennis Donovan]

76. It's been done:

[klook]

77. LOL, I thought of that!

And a second later, thought of the hilarious MAD magazine parody. Can't find any good images, but that was a classic!

[Dennis Donovan]

87. If any image from that movie should be posted, it's this one:

[Baitball Blogger]

9. +1

[Botany]

5. And why are we still having the basketball tournaments?

"Materials the virus liked best were stainless steel and plastic, ...."

[klook]

78. TV revenue uber alles.

Watching the games just wont be the same without the hyperactive pep bands, zany team color wigs, et al.

[global1]

6. A Lot Of Stainless Steel & Plastic In.....

hospitals and restaurants.

[Baitball Blogger]

11. And most people have stainless steel sinks.

[Native]

15. I can't remember which country it is, but their hospital beds have copper rails.

And guess what the end result of that has been? Super low rates of MRSA and other horrible, contagious things that you pick up in the hospital and often times kill you. This article says that the coronavirus is not a fan of copper. That's true for a lot of other nasty stuff. Why don't we use copper in our hospital rooms? It's more expensive, and in Americorp, that just won't do.

[Liberal In Texas]

7. Yeah, I think the jury is still out on transmission from contact with hard objects.From the article:

So far, however, there is no definitive proof the virus is actually spread via inanimate objects. “We don’t know if you can pick up Covid-19 from contaminated surfaces or inanimate objects at this point. That’s the bottom line,” says Marilyn Roberts, a microbiologist at the University of Washington School of Public Health.

Doctors testing patients know that the virus is present in large amounts in people’s upper respiratory tract, making it likely that it gets spread when they cough or sneeze, spraying tiny droplets and aerosols into the air and onto surfaces.

The big thing right now is we just don't know much. There hasn't been enough time for thorough testing

[Native]

13. That's a different chick. She might not know, but Munster's experiments do have conclusions.

Do you really think you can't get it from touching a surface that's contaminated? Read the CDC's guidelines for keeping your home clean when you are caring for an infected individual. That will change your mind very quickly (and freak you out). I mean I'd rather deal with 5 kids coming home from school with lice.

Additionally, epidemiologists in China did a thorough study with regard to a patient who contracted the virus on a bus. Based on CCTV footage and other means, they determined that the person contracted the virus from another person who was at no time any closer than four and a half feet. They also determined that in a closed environment with air conditioning, like the bus or train or whatever he was on, the virus was circulating in the air for at least 30 minutes.

Another thing we haven't been told about concerns the autopsies that have been conducted in China on infected, deceased individuals. Basically your lungs look like ground glass. And the lung damage, should you survive, is supposedly irreversible.

Reddit has a Coronavirus forum that is actually informative, unlike the bullshit we are being fed by our government.

[Liberal In Texas]

48. Did I say you can't? I said the jury is still out. We don't know.

These observations are anecdotal. The bus thing was not a controlled scientific experiment. There is really no way to know for certain if the people who were infected got it this way. Did they get exposed before they got on? After?

This whole thing reminds me of the wild stories and theories when the AIDS outbreak started. People were afraid to go into the same room with an AIDS patient because we didn't know how the virus was being transmitted. It was thought you could get AIDS from toilet seats and all kinds of things we know not to be true now.

Frankly I can do without the BS on Reddit as well.

[Native]

56. These were legit epidemiologists. That's what they do.

Check this out. I found this after reading the report (which was translated on Reddit - the site you think is worthless).
The guy is legit. Article on him in Forbes, and you can easily verify his credentials online:

He goes into greater detail on the investigative study. Like, how epidemiologists go about tracing this stuff. I'm sure you know that they can actually find patient zero many times. This wasn't a couple of dudes watching a video while throwing back a few cold ones and deciding, whoa, that guy looks like a carrier, I bet that's how our patient caught it.

P.S. I think most people get it when an advisory, regardless of which agency distributes it, cautions us about something while using the word "may," as in, it may be transmitted, or you may be exposed. This is a new virus. They are learning something new almost daily. In that type of environment one would think it would be beneficial to cull as much information as you can from medical experts, patients, and authorities with first hand experience.

[Liberal In Texas]

60. That thing was posted yesterday on DU.

Just saying we need more research. Be cautious. But I don't think you need to wipe your cans of soup with alcohol swabs. Just wash your hands before you eat!

[mwooldri]

12. Oh gosh... most trucks could be superspreaders...

Steel and plastic. Most big tractor bodies (at least Freightliners) are fiberglass (or aluminum) on the outside - the hood is certainly fiberglass for the most part (meant for quick and easy replacement in case of an accident).

[burrowowl]

24. Kick

[defacto7]

31. Does anyone consider clothing contamination?

Or are we supposed to overlook that? I haven't heard a word about proceedure or viability on clothing.

[Native]

47. Check the CDC guidelines for caring for somebody who has the virus.

Last edited Wed Mar 11, 2020, 06:14 PM - Edit history (1)

They go into detail on doing laundry. Scared the bejesus out of me. If I recall correctly - wear gloves, don't shake the clothes as you're putting them in the wash, disinfect the hamper, wash your hands, and I'm sure I'm not remembering it all.

[defacto7]

75. Gees... thanks.

[klook]

80. Link:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/home/cleaning-disinfection.html

[Native]

81. Here's the excerpt. Thanks for the link.....

Clothing, towels, linens and other items that go in the laundry

• Wear disposable gloves when handling dirty laundry from an ill person and then discard after each use. If using reusable gloves, those gloves should be dedicated for cleaning and disinfection of surfaces for COVID-19 and should not be used for other household purposes. Clean hands immediately after gloves are removed.
° If no gloves are used when handling dirty laundry, be sure to wash hands afterwards.
° If possible, do not shake dirty laundry. This will minimize the possibility of dispersing virus through the air.
° Launder items as appropriate in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. If possible, launder items using the warmest appropriate water setting for the items and dry items completely. Dirty laundry from an ill person can be washed with other people’s items.
° Clean and disinfect clothes hampers according to guidance above for surfaces. If possible, consider placing a bag liner that is either disposable (can be thrown away) or can be laundered.

[Dem2theMax]

32. Since a lot of people are discussing masks,

I thought I would throw this in here.

I never knew this, but masks have expiration dates.

I live in a fire zone. One time when we had to evacuate, the air was so bad, and so full of ash that it was difficult to breathe. After that evacuation, I purchased masks to keep in the house in case we had to go through that again.

I tucked them away in a cupboard, and didn't think anything about them until the coronavirus hit. They just happen to be N 95 masks. And lo and behold, there is an expiration date on the package. They expired in 2011. Shocker. They look perfect to me, and I would use them in a pinch. But if you are buying masks, check the box for expiration dates.

[Hortensis]

42. Interesting and worth checking out. We have some somewhere

in our basement up in Georgia that I purchased around the flu epidemic of, I think, 2007. Government censorship of all discussion except some too technical for most to make sense of made me think it might be the bad one epidemiologists had been waiting for.

Fwiw, the expiration dates on canned goods turn out to have no actual relation to decline of safety or quality of contents. They're science-free, just there because... something, apparently to give a vague indication of age since being canned. As long as the container retains its integrity, they may last for decades.

[Dem2theMax]

62. When it comes to food, I always do the smell test.

Regardless of what the label says, my nose has never lied to me. I trust it implicitly!

[Hortensis]

63. Absolutely. Reminds me that bread-truck man decades ago (already

long obsolete, but like the ice cream guy he made a living driving our family-neighborhood streets) taught me to smell bread as a reliable test. Sure enough, loaves sometimes just didn't smell good like fresh bread should, and occasionally whiffed of mold or whatever it was.

[Dem2theMax]

65. You just brought back a wonderful memory.

The Helms bread man. I guess we are letting everyone know how old we are. LOL?

I can see him as plain as day, pulling up in front of our house. We couldn't wait for him to open that back door so we could see what goodies he had in there. Of course mom bought bread. We wanted donuts! We usually got one.

[Native]

51. I believe those respirator masks have filters.

That's what's prob expiring.

[Dem2theMax]

61. They do have little plastic filters on them in the front.

When I read that these things expire, I did some research online. And it did say that if you kept them properly stored, in their original container, sealed up, out of the light and heat, they would last a bit longer.

I did all of that without knowing I was supposed to. Although, the cupboard they were in does get hot in the summer. They look absolutely brand new.

I'll replace them when it's convenient to do so. But I'm hanging on to these just in case. I have to have them here because of the fire danger.

Little did we know a monster virus was lurking in our future.

[consider_this]

35. how about freezer or microwave?

I have not seen yet if the virus survives the freezer or microwave. anyone know?
I know this sounds stupid, but would microwaving the snail mail 'disinfect' it?

I just got back from stocking up at Costco and I washed every plastic package and all produce with dishsoap and water before putting the items into my fridge or freezer. the non- perishables I'm going to let sit in the basement for 10 days before opening. and yeah - I wore plastic gloves and washed up well after and during all of this.
FYI - Cray-crowded for a weekday afternoon at Costco - seemed like peak Saturday experience.

[Native]

70. OMG people are trying to disinfect their library books in the microwave!

Saw some pics. Not a good thing.

[pbmus]

54. Up to 9 days on surface ...

https://www.livescience.com/how-long-coronavirus-last-surfaces.html

[eleny]

59. that's what dr. fair said this mornng on msnbc - err on the side of caution

[yaesu]

69. The Fed was storing money from Asia for 14 days, some scientists claim 10 days life on paper. nt

[Native]

71. Didn't China have to clean their cash? I thought I read something about that.

[mcar]

82. Good gad!

I'll have to leave my Amazon deliveries in the garage for several days.