TUESDAY, April 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) — There is a low risk for surface transmission of the new coronavirus and continuously disinfecting surfaces may do more harm than good, according to updated U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
Airborne transmission of the virus is the major threat.
“CDC determined that the risk of surface transmission is low, and secondary to the primary routes of virus transmission through direct contact droplets and aerosols,” Vincent Hill, Ph.D., chief of the Waterborne Disease Prevention Branch at the CDC, said during an agency-sponsored telephone briefing, CNN reported.
“In most situations, cleaning surfaces using soap or detergent, and not disinfecting, is enough to reduce the already low risk of virus transmission through surfaces,” Hill said. “Disinfecting surfaces is typically not necessary, unless a sick person or someone positive for COVID-19 has been in the home within the last 24 hours.”
When cleaning surfaces, Hill advised people to focus on high-contact areas such as doorknobs and light switches, CNN reported.
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