Omicron variant survives on smooth surfaces for more than seven days
A study by the School of Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong found that Omicron variant of concern is more stable than other variants and can survive on smooth surfaces for up to seven days after incubation.
The research team led by Dr Alex Wing Hong Chin placed samples of the Omicron BA.1 SARS-CoV-2 variant on test surfaces including stainless steel, polypropylene, glass, tissue paper and printing paper and studied the stability of the variant under these conditions compared with its ancestral strain.
On smooth surfaces, the Omicron variant could still be recovered seven days after incubation. The ancestral strain survived for up to four days.
Both the variant and its ancestral strain were significantly less stable on soft surfaces. The Omicron variant could be recovered on the surface of tissue paper and printing paper up to 30 minutes post-incubation while the ancestral strain did not survive beyond fifteen minutes.
The findings were published in BioRxiv, an open-access preprint repository for the biological sciences. To access the publication click here.