While work is underway to make links from one patient to another in the latest Covid-19 cluster in Auckland, health authorities’ attention has started to turn towards fomites.
Fomites are inanimate objects which had the potential to carry infection, like paper, doorknobs and light switches.
The Director-General of Health today raised the possibility that the case of the maintenance worker at the Rydges Hotel in Auckland could have been through a contaminated surface.
The World Health Organization said droplet and fomite transmission could explain some cases with an unknown source.
But, experts are assuring people fomite transmission isn’t very common.
Microbiologist Dr Siouxsie Wiles said at the beginning of the pandemic, experts thought surfaces would be one prime way for Covid-19 to spread.
“It turns out that, actually, that’s not true at all. It’s probably quite rare,” she said.
“Much more, the transmission happens face-to-face through breathing, talking, singing, shouting, things like that.”
Dr Wiles said fomite transmission is one potential source of the Auckland cluster. She said more investigation was needed to confirm or rule it out.
“It isn’t an impossibility, and that’s why it’s important we keep up with our hand-washing.”
University of Otago, Christchurch professor of infectious diseases David Murdoch said it is possible Covid-19 may live quite long at low temperatures, like other viruses.
But he said it was very unlikely fomite transmission could occur via people’s mail, for example.
“The key focus, which we are always going to come back to, is the importance of washing hands and cleaning surfaces.”
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