Transmission of COVID-19 from surfaces constitutes low risk, CDC says

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday said there is no significant risk of contracting COVID-19 from touching surfaces and objects. The CDC issued a guidance recently clarifying that direct contact with a sick person or through airborne transmission remains the primary cause of coronavirus’ spread.

“It is possible for people to be infected through contact with contaminated surfaces or objects (fomites), but the risk is generally considered to be low,” the new CDC guideline claims.

In May 2020, the CDC said that COVID-19 “does not spread easily” through coming in contact with surfaces or objects. During the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, CDC had claimed that “it may be possible” to pass on the virus from surfaces that may be contaminated with the virus.

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After the pandemic began, authorities across the globe were pushed into undertaking mass sanitisation programmes. But now the CDC says that disinfectants may not be necessary, and that even simple disinfection seems to be enough to fight COVID-19.

“There is little scientific support for routine use of disinfectants in community settings, whether indoor or outdoor”, the CDC said. “In most situations, cleaning surfaces using soap or detergent, and not disinfecting, is enough to reduce risk”, the agency added.

The CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky introduced the guidelines during a White House coronavirus briefing on Monday.

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