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wnylib

(25,183 posts)
16. Yahoo News had a recent article about
Wed Jan 26, 2022, 08:31 AM
Jan 2022

a study of how long omicron remains active on surfaces in comparison with previous variants. Omicron lasts longer on surfaces than all the other variants.

The primary transmission of covid is through the air, by inhalation. But it is possible to get it from surface contact if the active virus gets on your hands and you touch your hands to your eyes, mouth, or nose.

Two examples of active omicron virus on surfaces were highlighted, skin and plastic. Omicron stays active for a full day, 23+ hours on human skin compared to 8 hours for delta. So hand washing is especially important to protect from omicron. According that article, previous variants became inactive on human skin after 15 seconds of exposure to alcohol based hand sanitizer.

Omicron staus active for 8.25 days on plastic surfaces, compared to 2 or 3 days for previous variants.

So, is it possible that the high infection rate of omicron is partially due to its long period of remaining active on surfaces?

If you bring a contaminated plastic item into your home, not knowing that it is contaminated, and wash your hands when you get home, you are still not protected from getting the virus. For the next 8 days in your own home, any time you touch that plastic item, you will have active virus on your hands. If you touch your mouth or eyes, you will introduce the virus into your body. It will probably be a low viral load, so your symptoms will be mild, especially if you are vaccinated. But why risk long covid, or transmitting It to others if you get it?

What about plastic containers or plastic wrap covering on takeout food? You take it back to work or your car and eat after washing your hands and then opening the container. Your clean hands get contaminated again when you touch the container to open it, then put your hands to your mouth.

If the employees who wrapped your take out, or handled it to give it to you at the register were not infected, nothing to worry about. But what if they were?

Might be good to start wiping down plastic items or plastic packaging with sanitizing wipes when we bring them home. Soda bottles, water bottles, packaging for snack foods, credit and debit cards, etc. Plastic elevator buttons that dozens of people have touched? Sanitize your hands after using them or don't touch your face until you wash your hands.

Or, if it's too much to be concerned about after 2 years of dealing with covid, then don't. But be sure you are vaccinated and boosted and be careful around vulnerable people.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

If you are at risk from immunocompromise (or even if you are NOT) wear a damned N95 mask hlthe2b Jan 2022 #1
Good luck with that spinbaby Jan 2022 #24
Exactly! Desert_Leslie Jan 2022 #40
+1! nt Pobeka Jan 2022 #42
I am the only one at work who has not been infected liberal N proud Jan 2022 #2
You must be naturally immune. Anyone tell you that yet? twodogsbarking Jan 2022 #3
I always say that if I survived the Fraternity House liberal N proud Jan 2022 #45
Doing great, liberal N proud! BComplex Jan 2022 #38
You may have been infected but without any symptoms. former9thward Jan 2022 #51
That chart is compelling, except to people unwilling to read it and accept it. NCjack Jan 2022 #4
Anti-vaxxers are now telling us they're "done with Covid." sop Jan 2022 #5
They're done with covid but covid is not done with them. wnylib Jan 2022 #7
I'm done caring whether anti-vaxxers live or die. sop Jan 2022 #13
I don't wish them harm or death, but I also wnylib Jan 2022 #23
What does that even mean? IronLionZion Jan 2022 #32
it means that taking basic precautions equals tyranny in their pathetic tiny minds Skittles Jan 2022 #48
They don't take basic precautions IronLionZion Jan 2022 #52
Eric Topol has posted another chart that showed... Botany Jan 2022 #6
I'm not vaxxed, and don't intend to be EastMeetsWest Jan 2022 #8
Why? moose65 Jan 2022 #9
Post removed Post removed Jan 2022 #12
Hey, good luck with all that. sop Jan 2022 #15
If you've ben around since Eisenhower then you should especially get it Polybius Jan 2022 #18
This Covid is not even close to samplegirl Jan 2022 #22
Swine flu! lol Blues Heron Jan 2022 #28
just tell your doc you want yours strained through a sieve Blues Heron Jan 2022 #29
Do you think those reasons are worth risking your life for? Farmer-Rick Jan 2022 #34
Still makes no sense! Nt USALiberal Jan 2022 #47
Explain your problem with the vaccine? Sounds fishy to me. USALiberal Jan 2022 #10
You do know the vaccine is safer than aspirin? Emile Jan 2022 #11
Post removed Post removed Jan 2022 #14
It's your decision. I never liked to gamble Emile Jan 2022 #19
I took it and was terrified samplegirl Jan 2022 #25
LOL Emile Jan 2022 #37
The most monitored vaccines in history with the most doses delivered worldwide... hlthe2b Jan 2022 #17
You will be getting COVID then. lagomorph777 Jan 2022 #33
I got the flu shot and then I caught a cold! Iggo Jan 2022 #41
yup Skittles Jan 2022 #50
why would you not get vaxxed Skittles Jan 2022 #49
Good luck with that IronLionZion Jan 2022 #53
Yahoo News had a recent article about wnylib Jan 2022 #16
That is so effed up. I still spray everything down ecstatic Jan 2022 #21
I wipe down everything wnylib Jan 2022 #31
Wow! I didn't think it was possible for anyone to be more diligent ecstatic Jan 2022 #46
I was wondering about this very thing Tumbulu Jan 2022 #39
The unvaxxed people I know are insisting that omicron is like the common cold ecstatic Jan 2022 #20
My wife and youngest son caught the 'Rona. mwooldri Jan 2022 #26
Omicron is the worst version of Covid, period Johnny2X2X Jan 2022 #27
Not true in Gauteng Province. Tomconroy Jan 2022 #30
Vaccines Johnny2X2X Jan 2022 #35
The graph needs to show the timeframe, it could easily be very misleading. thesquanderer Jan 2022 #36
You have to dig, but the timeframe is Sep 4, 2021 to Dec 4 2021. n/t Pobeka Jan 2022 #43
Thank you! (n/t) thesquanderer Jan 2022 #44
I'll stick to my 100% of three mRNA shots and one non-mRNA shot and not getting COViD RB TexLa Jan 2022 #54
I got my booster yesterday. Boy do I feel like crap. Angleae Jan 2022 #55
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