In order to avoid infection with coronaviruses, hygiene is the be-all and end-all. Bonn researchers have investigated where the virus load in the household is highest.
- Researchers are gaining more and more knowledge about the corona virus.
- Scientists from the University of Bonn have new results on the viral load in households .
- There are also a few surprises.
In many places, people breathe easy because the situation around the corona pandemic is slowly relaxing and researchers are gaining more and more knowledge about the new virus. Nevertheless, the crisis is far from over and many are afraid of a second wave. Twelve scientists led by the virologist Hendrik Streeck from the University of Bonn have now dealt with the question of where the virus load * is highest in the household of a corona infected person.
Coronavirus: Researchers check viral load in quarantine households
The study was previously published on the preprint server "medrxiv.org". So far, it is still in the peer-view process, which means that the results have yet to be checked by other researchers . It analyzes the viral load in 21 randomly selected quarantine households in the district of Heinsberg , where the corona virus has raged particularly hard. There was at least one infected person in each household. The researchers took a total of 119 smears from door handles, remote controls, furniture and 66 samples from the wastewater from showers, sinks and toilets *. 15 samples were also taken from the room air.
Corona viruses were the most common in the household
The researchers tested the samples for the genetic material of the coronavirus using a PCR test. Overall, the virus exposure in the home environment proved to be low - even though 25 of 43 adults were infected. The highest viral load was still to be found in the bathroom: Sars-CoV-2 genetics were found in 15 percent of the wastewater samples. At almost 20 percent, the washbasin was most likely to be affected, and the shower just behind.
Surprisingly, the stress on the surfaces tested was rather low: Corona viruses were only detected on two door handles, a remote control and a piece of furniture. No viruses were found in the air at all. The study was unable to determine whether the viruses were still contagious at this point.
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Conclusion of the coronavirus study in the household
The researchers concluded from the result that the smear infection by touch could not play as important a role as previously thought. Infection via aerosols also appears to be surprisingly unlikely. However, only a few samples could be taken here.
Instead, the study again appears to confirm that the infection is most likely to occur through droplets . That is why the scientists consider it advisable to close the lid when flushing the toilet and to pay attention to hygiene around the sink and shower.
Also read : Corona virus: How to clean your household hygienically.
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* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.
