Coronavirus infects faster and lasts longer than Sars, raising new containment challenges, Chinese studies suggest
- Researchers found that on average, infected people expel virus particles from their bodies for a relatively long period of 20 days, even before symptoms appear
- Findings indicate longer quarantine periods may be needed for patients, according to researchers from the China-Japan Friendship Hospital
A series of studies of the coronavirus suggest it is infectious for longer periods than pathogens from the same family, such as Sars, presenting added challenges for containing it.
Researchers found that on average, people with SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes Covid-19, a pneumonia-like disease – can expel or “shed” virus particles from their bodies for a relatively long period of 20 days, spreading it even before symptoms appear.
The virus also remains persistent in the faeces of some children, suggesting it can be transmitted through a faecal-oral transmission route – meaning that contaminated faeces from the infected child is somehow ingested by another person.
This indicates longer quarantine periods may be needed for patients, according to a study by a team from the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, which included China National Health Commission expert Cao Bin.
The more contagious nature of the virus as indicated in the study is reflected in the growing number of cases globally: as of Thursday, Covid-19 had infected over 200,000 people in more than 172 countries and regions, and killed nearly 9,000.