COVID-19 does spread through the air and lingers in rooms long after patients have left, study finds

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The killer coronavirus can spread through the air and remain contagious for hours, another study has suggested.

US scientists found high levels of the bug lurking in the air in rooms long after patients had left.

What's more is that traces of the coronavirus were also discovered in hospital corridors outside patients' rooms, where staff had been coming in and out.

The University of Nebraska researchers behind the study say the finding highlights the importance of protective clothing for healthcare workers.

It follows a wealth of studies that have suggested the highly contagious disease does not just spread via droplets in a cough or sneeze.

Scientists around the world are scrambling to understand how the virus, which has now infected 785,282 people and killed almost 38,000, sheds and spreads.

The latest study, which has not been peer-reviewed by other scientists yet or published in a scientific journal, took samples from 11 patients' rooms after they had been placed in isolation following a diagnosis.

The researchers found viral particles in the air both inside the rooms and in the hallways outside of the rooms.

Their finding suggests people may be able to contract the bug without ever being in direct close proximity to an infected person.

The study's authors said this highlights the importance of wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).

Shortages in the UK have meant NHS workers cannot get their hands on PPE, with some staff resorting to buying their own from DIY stores.

Lead author James Lawler, an infectious diseases expert at the Nebraska University, said in a statement: 'Our team was already taking airborne precautions with the initial patients we cared for.

'This report reinforces our suspicions. It's why we have maintained COVID patients in rooms equipped with negative airflow and will continue to make efforts to do so - even with an increase in the number of patients.

'Our health care workers providing care will be equipped with the appropriate level of personal protective equipment. Obviously, more research is required to be able to characterize environmental risk.'

The researchers also found traces of the bug on commonly used items such as toilets, adding to the theory that the virus can spread on surfaces.

Fears the virus can survive on surfaces have existed since the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, last December.

England's chief medical officer has warned people can get infected by touching any contaminated surfaces and then touching their face.

Professor Chris Whitty said the coronavirus can stay contagious on hard metal or plastic surfaces like door handles or handrails for as long as three days.

It comes after the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) yesterday revealed there are medical staff working to save lives and turn the tide in Britain's war with coronavirus that have no access to basic protective clothing at all.

Dame Donna Kinnair, chief executive and general secretary of the RCN, has blasted the 'unacceptable' levels of masks, gloves and aprons in some hospitals and care homes.


PATIENTS INFECTED WITH THE VIRUS ARE MOST CONTAGIOUS BEFORE THEY GET SEVERE SYMPTOMS

Patients infected with the killer coronavirus shed large amounts of the virus before severe symptoms appear, a study has shown.

And people continue to remain contagious even after they feel better, researchers found.

The German study – one of the first coronavirus studies to have been conducted outside China – confirms the theory that people can spread the virus before they even know they are infected.

But it also suggests they can spread it after they recover from the infection.

Researchers from the Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology in Munich took samples from the nose and throat of nine COVID-19 patients.

Results showed the samples had a very high viral load when the subjects were only showing minor symptoms, such as fatigue or a cough.

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