The risk of COVID-19 surface transmission is low, says the CDC, and is especially low outdoors.
COVID-19 is primarily a respiratory disease spread through the air and all the attention being paid to cleaning and disinfecting surfaces isn’t really necessary. Not only that but if done excessively, those activities actually do more harm than good, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday.
The risk of surface transmission is low, said Vincent Hill, the CDC’s chief of the waterborne disease prevention branch. It’s a little more of a risk indoors, but outdoors it’s especially low because the sun and other factors can destroy the virus, Hill said.
The CDC went on to say COVID-19 does not last on porous surfaces, but can last longer on hard indoor surfaces, according to a report on CNN.
A study conducted last year by the CDC, National Institutes of Health (NIH), UCLA, and Princeton University investigated how long the virus remained infectious on different surfaces. The investigators found that SARS-CoV-2 is detectable in aerosols for up to 3 hours, on copper up to 4 hours, up to 24 hours on cardboard, and up to 3 days on plastic and stainless steel.
This was the widely-held view for some time as a virus spread through airborne transmission. Efforts to prevent it by masking, good indoor air circulation, and social distancing remain important efforts, and one new study shows the aforementioned first 2 may be of greater importance.
In a study done by the University of Central Florida, investigators’ findings suggest good ventilation and masks are significantly more important in reducing the airborne spread of COVID-19 than social distancing. The constant current of airflow caused by the ventilation system forces the air to circulate and be processed through an air filter, which removes a portion of the aerosols. The findings are in line with recent recommendations from the CDC.
As the US continues to ramp up its COVID-19 vaccine efforts, it is important to follow the latest CDC guidelines to protect against the virus.
How Contaminated Is Your Stretcher? The Hidden Risks on Hospital Wheels
July 3rd 2025Despite routine disinfection, hospital surfaces, such as stretchers, remain reservoirs for harmful microbes, according to several recent studies. From high-touch areas to damaged mattresses and the effectiveness of antimicrobial coatings, researchers continue to uncover persistent risks in environmental hygiene, highlighting the critical need for innovative, continuous disinfection strategies in health care settings.
Beyond the Surface: Rethinking Environmental Hygiene Validation at Exchange25
June 30th 2025Environmental hygiene is about more than just shiny surfaces. At Exchange25, infection prevention experts urged the field to look deeper, rethink blame, and validate cleaning efforts across the entire care environment, not just EVS tasks.
Streamlined IFU Access Boosts Infection Control and Staff Efficiency
June 17th 2025A hospital-wide quality improvement project has transformed how staff access critical manufacturer instructions for use (IFUs), improving infection prevention compliance and saving time through a standardized, user-friendly digital system supported by unit-based training and interdepartmental collaboration.
Back to Basics: Hospital Restores Catheter-Associated UTI Rates to Prepandemic Baseline
June 16th 2025A 758-bed quaternary medical center slashed catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) by 45% over 2 years, proving that disciplined adherence to fundamental prevention steps, not expensive add-ons, can reverse the pandemic-era spike in device-related harm.