Could antiviral surface designs help reduce SARS-CoV-2’s spread?
It is now widely known that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), spreads via respiratory droplets. The persistence of the aerosol in the environment largely determines the success of the viral transmission.
In addition, the virus-laden droplets can also deposit on various surfaces by forming a fomite. While wearing masks and maintaining social distances help to mitigate the spread of the virus, the common surfaces that we touch contribute to this secondary source of viral transmission.
When a respiratory droplet from a COVID-19 infected person or an asymptomatic carrier lands on a surface, it is highly potent for transmissibility. Although about 99% of the liquid evaporates from the droplet, a thin layer of moisture remains, which keeps the virus viable. While frequent sanitation or the application of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) onto surfaces may inactivate SARS-CoV-2, thus reducing the risk of infection through the fomite route, these methods are usually inconvenient.