Corona infected known or unknown patients could pass on Coronavirus (COVID-19) through handling cash and using it to buy things. Can it be another route of infection of Coronavirus? Can Bank notes carry bacteria or viruses?
Please include any references if any such as weblink or URL
Please have a look at:
Article Money and transmission of bacteria
Article Characterization of Pathogenic Bacteria Isolated from Sudane...
Article Characterization of Pathogenic Bacteria Isolated from Sudane...
Please take a look at this useful RG link.
Article Paper money and coins as potential vectors of transmissible disease
Many thanks for your response, in particular, those research scientists who provided weblinks, which I found useful and relevant. I do also believe that since viruses have a lipid bilayer envelope (the lipid layer that surrounds the virus) which may allow viruses like COVID-19 to bind/stick on surfaces like banknotes. Though actual research is needed to prove it!
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-germany-banknotes/banknotes-carry-no-particular-coronavirus-risk-german-disease-expert-idUSKBN20Y2ZT
New research (van Doremalen et al 2020, Published in The New England Journal of Medicine. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc2004973) reveals that Coronavirus can live on various surfaces (stainless steel> polypropylene plastic>cardboard>copper>air) (ranging from 3 hours to 72 hours) (see the attachment)
All studies in the field of corona have contraversi ,and are not conclusive.
The only thing that is certain is caution, because we don't know.
Se sabe que el virus puede sobrevivir por unas cuatro horas en papel y cartón, así que si alguien pone fluídos sobre notas y dinero puede transmitir la enfermedad a todo aquel que toque esos objetos en ese tiempo.
Dear José J. Him Fábrega, Panama
Thank you for your response. I have translated your Spanish response in English so that others can follow: “It is known that the virus can survive for about four hours on paper and cardboard, so if someone puts fluids on notes and money, they can transmit the disease to anyone who touches those objects at that time”
Hope my translation is correct?
I think yes the virus can be transmitted through coins and cash considering its lipids surace and living period on surafces.
Probably yes, however most scientific data regarding SARS-CoV-2 stability outside of a host cell comes from experimental studies in labs and are difficult to translate into real world processes.
Paper or coin money is definitely full of germs, bacteria, etc. Some stores only accept plastic money during the pandemic.
Coins can be cleaned with soda and vinegar, but not paper money. Need to wash hands after each handling.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.marketwatch.com/amp/story/guid/AFB24E20-5FD9-11EA-9EB1-848872F13637
Research Proposal Coronavirus (COVID-19): Two Environment Related Research Questions
Banknotes/Cash money carries the risk of transmitting the virus, but probably the risk from cash so far is small compared with other transmission routes.
All todays data are based on preliminary study but virus may survive on cash money for limited time and is not support replication, so chances to be positive covid 19 may very small. However proper hand washing and alcohol based hand rub is essential to use.
Banknotes always carry bacteria or viruses. I think it's common sense to assume that if you cough or sneeze on or near exposed money or if the virus is on your hands or gloves when u handle and pass money to another person, then money can transmit the disease. Why would money be any different to other objects that touched by infected hands and gloves? Coins can be cleaned but not banknotes or paper money. Need to wash hands after touches these items.
Bank notes are a media for bacteria and viruses to spread because these travels through several hands before one gets it. If a bank note after being touched by a COVID 19 patient, and then comes in contact with an uninfected person, he will have the possibility of being contaminated. Hence, if a person without proper precautions, handles bank notes, can be infected. So, after handling such notes, one should wash his hands and refrain from touching his eyes, nose and mouth to stop the virus from infecting.
Around March 2020 there was concern linked to WHO about banknotes carrying COVID-19; however, it must have been wrongly reported:
https://fullfact.org/health/coronavirus-WHO-cash-comments/
This link:
https://www.euronews.com/2020/03/06/experts-play-down-likelihood-of-banknotes-spreading-coronavirus
reports an interview with Stephanie Brickman from the Media Centre, WHO Europe, in which the concern was lessened:
"We do not know [how long the virus lasts on banknotes], but we estimate not longer than two hours," said Stephanie Brickman from the World Health Organization. "The virus will not survive for very long on surfaces, particularly on a dry surface like a banknote," Brickman added.
Please see https://www.finextra.com/newsarticle/36731/coronavirus-can-survive-up-to-28-days-on-paper-banknotes
An interesting link above, from Dr Selcen Ozturkcan; I would have thought that plastic bank notes (that the UK has gone over to) would not have retained the virus, but from this link, it can remain for 28 days.
I think this is the article regarding the research:
Riddell, S., Goldie, S., Hill, A., Eagles, D., & Drew, T. W. (2020). The effect of temperature on persistence of SARS-CoV-2 on common surfaces. Virology Journal, 17(1), 1-7.
Article The effect of temperature on persistence of SARS-CoV-2 on co...
https://virologyj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12985-020-01418-7
(immediate full text)
Indeed, the article published in Virology is the reference. Thanks for sharing it. There is more information also available here: https://www.csiro.au/en/News/News-releases/2020/CSIRO-scientists-publish-new-research-on-SARS-COV-2-virus-survivability
