澳大利亞最新研究顯示，鈔票、玻璃和其他常見表面上的新冠病毒可能在數周內一直具有傳染性。這項研究強調了紙幣、觸屏設備、門把手和扶手傳播病毒的風險。

The virus that causes COVID-19 can last up to 28 days on surfaces such as mobile phone and ATM screens – much longer than previously thought – but lasts for much less time on softer surfaces, new CSIRO research shows.

澳大利亞聯邦科學與工業研究組織的一項新研究顯示，新冠病毒在手機和自動取款機屏幕等表面上可以存活28天，遠比之前認為的要長，但在較軟的表面上存活的時間要短得多。

Previous research from US health authorities showed the virus could be detected in aerosols for up to three hours and on plastic and stainless steel surfaces for up to three days.

此前美國衛生當局的研究表明，新冠病毒在氣溶膠中可以存活3小時，在塑料和不銹鋼表面可以存活3天。

Australian researchers tested the virus on polymer banknotes, de-monetised paper banknotes and common surfaces including brushed stainless steel, glass, vinyl and cotton cloth.

澳大利亞研究人員在塑料鈔票、廢棄紙幣和拉絲不銹鋼、玻璃、乙烯基和棉布等常見表面上測試了新冠病毒。

On glass, stainless steel and paper banknotes, the virus lasted for up to 28 days at 20 degrees.

在玻璃、不銹鋼和紙幣上，病毒在20攝氏度的溫度下可以存活28天。

As the temperature increased to 30 and 40 degrees, the virus lasted for less than a week on those surfaces. The study found the virus remained on most surfaces for about six to seven days before starting to lose its potency.

當溫度上升到30攝氏度和40攝氏度時，病毒在這些表面存活了不到一周。研究發現，病毒在大部分表面停留大約6到7天后就開始失去活性。

On more porous materials such as cotton, which can absorb the virus, no infectious virus was recovered after two weeks.

棉花等更多孔的材料可以吸附病毒。在這些材料上，兩周后就檢測不到傳染性病毒。

porous [?p??r?s]：adj.多孔滲水的；能滲透的；有氣孔的

Similar experiments for influenza A have found that it survived on surfaces for 17 days.

針對甲型流感的類似試驗發現，甲流病毒可以在物體表面存活17天。

CSIRO chief executive Dr Larry Marshall said: "Establishing how long the virus really remains viable on surfaces enables us to more accurately predict and mitigate its spread, and do a better job of protecting our people."

澳大利亞聯邦科學與工業研究組織首席執行官拉里·馬歇爾博士說：“確定病毒在物體表面存活的時間，使我們能夠更準確地預測和減緩其傳播，并更好地保護民眾。”

The study notes the virus is primarily transmitted through aerosols and droplets caused by infected people sneezing or coughing near another person. The role of contaminated surfaces in the virus' spread is yet to be fully determined, according to the study, but has "been suggested as a potential mode of transmission also reflected by the strong focus on hand-washing by [the World Health Organisation] and national control schemes".

該研究指出，新冠病毒主要通過在他人附近打噴嚏或咳嗽的感染者產生的氣溶膠和飛沫傳播。根據這項研究，受污染的表面在病毒傳播中的作用尚未完全確定，但“被認為是一種潛在的傳播方式，因此世衛組織和國家防控措施也高度重視勤洗手的作用”。

新冠病毒可以在物體表面存活多久？

"The persistence on glass is an important finding, given that touch-screen devices such as mobile phones, bank ATMs, supermarket self-serve checkouts and airport check-in kiosks are high-touch surfaces which may not be regularly cleaned and therefore pose a transmission risk of SARS-CoV-2," the study states.

研究指出：“病毒在玻璃上可以存活很久是一個重要的發現，考慮到觸屏設備，如手機、銀行自動取款機、超市自助收銀臺和機場自助值機設備的觸摸頻率很高，可能無法定時清潔，因此會造成傳播新冠病毒的風險。”

"It has been demonstrated that mobile phones can harbour pathogens responsible for nosocomial transmission and, unlike hands, are not regularly cleaned."

“人們已經證實，手機可以藏匿病原體，導致院內傳播，而且不像手可以經常清潔。”

nosocomial [,n?s?(?)'k??m??l]：adj.醫院的

The CSIRO said the findings may help to explain the persistent spread of the coronavirus in cool environments such as abattoirs.

該組織表示，這一發現可能有助于解釋新冠病毒在屠宰場等低溫環境中持續傳播的原因。

Trevor Drew, director of the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, said the virus' viability on surfaces outside their host relied on a number of factors.

澳大利亞疾病防控中心主任特雷弗·德魯說，病毒在宿主體外表面的存活取決于許多因素。

"How long they can survive and remain infectious depends on the type of virus, quantity, the surface, environmental conditions and how it's deposited – for example, touch versus droplets emitted by coughing," Professor Drew said.

德魯教授說：“它們能存活多久并保持傳染性取決于病毒的類型、數量、表面、環境條件以及病毒的沉積方式，例如，接觸還是咳嗽排出的飛沫。”

"Proteins and fats in body fluids can also significantly increase virus survival times."

“體液中的蛋白質和脂肪也能顯著增加病毒的存活時間。

The research, conducted at the Centre for Disease Preparedness in Geelong, Victoria, involved drying virus in an artificial mucus on different surfaces, at concentrations similar to those reported in samples from infected patients, and then re-isolating the virus over a month.

這項研究是在維多利亞州吉隆市的澳大利亞疾病防控中心進行的，研究涉及在不同表面上的人造黏液中的干燥病毒，使其濃度與感染者樣本中報告的濃度相似，然后在一個月的時間里重新分離病毒。

mucus [?mju?k?s]：n.黏液

The study was also carried out in the dark, to remove the effect of UV light, as research has demonstrated direct sunlight can rapidly inactivate the virus.

這項研究也在黑暗中進行，以消除紫外線的影響，因為研究已經證明直接的光線照射可以迅速滅活病毒。

英文來源：悉尼先驅晨報

翻譯&編輯：yaning