Chennai: Covid-19 is unlike any other outbreak the world has seen. Many questions about the virus don’t have accurate answers. For example, how long does it take for the virus to die in a human body?
Coronavirus invades a body if a person breathes in after someone coughs nearby, or if s/he touches a contaminated surface and then touch her/his face. The virus affects the lining of throat, airways and lungs and easily spreads to other parts.
It is said the incubation period, the time between infection and first symptoms appearing, varies widely, but it is five days on average, experts say.
Chennai-based doctor, Shanthi, explains that the life of the virus is apparently 28-35 days in a human body, but again, there have been cases where the virus can live for four to six weeks considering its shedding. Suppose a person is infected, his/her immunity system will act create a specific anti-body and tries to kill the virus. Another threat she said is, re-infection.
“There is no life long immunity for this outbreak as of now. In many countries there is re-infection taking place. One cannot say people are clear of the virus once they recover and that they are not going to spread it to others. This is a tricky situation as it is not there in any other outbreak.”
As for prevention, she says a vaccine is the best option, which we do not currently have. There are drugs which are satisfactory and another way to end this is to find the source of the virus and arrest it.
There are post quarantine challenges she says, “There could be a surge in Covid-19 cases after the lockdown is lifted. This is based on the trend in other countries. In Wuhan, after 72 days of lockdown, cases were being reported. Suppose, a person in quarantine gets the infection, s/he can easily spread it to family members or a domestic help. The start of infection for them would be on different dates. When they go out, they may spread it.”
Apart from person to person, the contagion can be spread from surfaces. Experts say the life of coronavirus on surfaces is not yet clearly established.
Sample this, the virus can linger in the air for up to three hours, on copper for up to four hours, on cardboard up to 24 hours, metal and glass for nine days and on plastic and stainless steel up to 72 hours.
However, the most astonishing factor is, the virus was found in the cabins of symptomatic and asymptomatic people who were infected with Covid-19 on the Diamond Princess cruise ship up to 17 days after the passengers disembarked.