Coronavirus can live up to 96 hours on smartphones, study reveals

Many of us aren’t aware that things that remain with us 24*7 could be one of the carriers of the coronavirus and smartphones are one of them.

While many of us are washing our hands countless times and maintaining basic hygiene, we often don’t realize that the smartphones can be an actual petri dish for Covid-19 as it comes in frequent contact with our palms and faces as we use them for making calls. We only use the phone for sending messages but also use them for making calls and that’s when they touch our faces.

Covid-19 can live on the surfaces for multiple days reveals Rudra Channappanavar, an immunologist from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Smartphone glasses, in particular, can host live coronaviruses for up to 96 hours or four days depending on the room temperature.

In fact, research conducted by Dscout revealed that, in a group of 94 people, the average person fiddled with their phones over 2,600 times a day.

While another study revealed that people touch their faces about 23 times per hour or 368 times during a day. So now do you realise how alarming the situation can be if you don’t sanitize your phones or wash your hands after touching your phones every time.

Channappanavar had also stated that if you contract an infection like Covid-19 without coming in any infected person’s contact, there are chances that you got surfaces like these. Your mobile phone to be precise.

So how should you keep your phones clean?

A smartphone's display can be disinfected using an alcohol-based solution but alcohol is not really good for your phone’s screen. This is because when you rub your phone with an alcohol-based solution or other with any other harsh chemicals, it can cause damage to your phone’s outer coating that protects your screen from fingerprints and smudges.

Apple, on the other hand, has claimed that many of its products can be cleaned with 70 percent isopropyl alcohol. It has also recommended Clorox wipes to clean the phones. However, it had advised people to use the substances carefully and had also cautioned people from using any anything abrasive like soap. Apple had also asked users to not excessively wipe their displays as that could damage the screens or the finish.

Another way of keeping your phone is by getting a UV light. The method apparently kills 99.99% of germs and bacteria. But there was no official record whether this is effective on coronavirus or not.

However, the easiest way is to wipe your phone’s screen with a clean cloth. Or you can simply wash your hands every time after you touch your phone.