Did it hurt? You know, when you fell from heaven? When the only god you ever knew or loved—a father, really—forsook you in such a concrete and definitive way? Did it hurt to find yourself suddenly earthbound and material and newly subject to the fragility and pain of physical form, alone? Yeah, I bet that hurt. Sorry dude. Sounds rough. Anyways, ur pretty cute. Also, welcome to the Daily Dose.
In today’s news: how long COVID-19 lasts on surfaces and other updates.
COVID-19 Update
How long can SARS-CoV-2 survive on surfaces?
A new study out from the NIH last week has given us insight into the crucial question of how long HCoV-19, the virus that causes COVID-19, can survive both on surfaces and airborne.
The researchers found that in laboratory settings, the virus can remain viable on hard surfaces such as steel or plastic for up to 72 hours—though the researchers noted that the virus’ viability dropped dramatically after 48 hours—and that it can remain viable on soft surfaces such as cardboard for 24 hours. The team also found that the virus can remain viable aerosolized (i.e. airborne) in laboratory settings for up to three hours. It is important to note that the experiment on the aerosolized virus only lasted for about three hours, though the researchers did note that the virus became less viable closer to the three hour mark.
It is also important to note that these tests were done in very controlled laboratory settings, and the researchers themselves noted that environmental factors such as temperature, sunlight and humidity can have a drastic effect on how long the virus stays viable in both airborne and surface-contact settings. Another important discovery was that at least in laboratory settings, when compared to viability profiles for SARS-CoV-1 (the virus that causes SARS), the team noted that the viruses behaved quite similarly. This information is important, 1) because COVID-19 has already spread many times beyond and with much greater speed than SARS ever did, and figuring out what is the same and what is different between these two viruses epidemiologically can help inform public health experts on how bust to curb the spread of the virus and avoid further outbreaks; and 2) because SARS-CoV-1 rapidly loses viability when exposed to sunlight, high temperatures or high humidity, and knowing that these two viruses for the most part behave in the same ways helps inform us on what HCoV-19’s viability might be like outside of laboratory settings, at least until more definitive peer-reviewed research can be done.
Other news
The World Health Organization will be launching a multi-arm, multi-national trial called SOLIDARITY to test potential COVID-19 therapies that have already been licensed and used for other illnesses, and ten countries have already confirmed that they will be taking part in the trial. The drugs to be tested are lopinavir, ritonavir, remdesivir (a combination of the previous two drugs, all of which are used to treat HIV), and the antimalarial chloroquine.
The CDC has published an age breakdown of populations in the U.S. that have contracted COVID-19, as well as resulting fatalities. An important note from the study is that millennials (aged 20-44) are quite susceptible to the illness, comprising 29% of cases, and one-fifth of infected millennials have had to be hospitalized. These finding fall in line with what public health officials and infectious disease experts have been urging for sometime, predominantly due to public misbelief that COVID-19 is only dangerous to older populations.
BONUS: NASA Tells Rover (Don’t) Stop Hitting Yourself
In the most refreshing bit of news I’ve seen all week, NASA has finally gotten its Insight Lander—a probe that has been keeping us posted on Mars’ seismology and weather since November of last year—unstuck, and they did it by getting it to smack the shit out of itself with a shovel.
Credit: NASA/JPL-CALTECH
You can read the full daring story in Popular Science.
In today’s personal news: MY CAT IS GETTING SO F*CKING BIG! LOOK AT HIM! LOOK AT THIS LITTLE FART! GAH!!! I LOVE HIM!!!!! Also he went outside for the first time yesterday since well, he was born (the sweet boy is a stray that we found at 4-weeks old, bless his tiny little orphan heart) and he had a grand old time.
PS, don’t get used to it Lynx. You’re an inside cat and an inside cat is what you’ll stay dammit. (You can go outside sometimes my sweet little baby but don’t tell them I said that, it’s our little secret).
And that’s it folks! Love ya nerds stay safe and be well xoxo
Love this. Still think your dog looks weird though.