Regular handwashing remains a critical defense against viral spread, as confirmed by recent Japanese research on coronavirus survival on human skin.
SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, can persist on skin for up to 9 hours—five times longer than the influenza virus, which survives just 1.8 hours.
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This finding comes from a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, which examined skin samples from recently deceased individuals to simulate real-world conditions.
Experts emphasize hand hygiene to curb transmission. Notably, ethanol-based hand sanitizers inactivate the virus in just 15 seconds.
