Persistence, transmission, and infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 in inanimate environments

Currently, the emergence of a novel coronavirus, referred to as SARS-CoV-2, has become a global health concern which cause severe respiratory tract infections in humans. Person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2 has occurred across the globe, within a short period of SARS-CoV-2 emergence. The goal of this analysis is to summarize in various inanimate surfaces and environments information about the frequency, persistence, potential dissemination, and infectivity of SARS-CoV-2. Most respiratory viruses, including coronaviruses, SARS-CoVs, or influenza may persist for a few days on the surfaces or objects. The length of tenacity on various inanimate surfaces depends on the environmental and growth conditions and overall survival rate could range from minutes to month time. The SARS-CoV-2 may survive and maintain infectivity in the air in unventilated buses for 30 ​min. As no specific vaccines or therapeutic drugs are available for this contagious virus, timely prevention measures would be crucial to control the future outbreak of this infectious disease. Precautionary strategies such as wearing masks and frequent washing hands are effective to mitigate COVID-19. Following careful consideration of the above-mentioned scenarios, the short review spotlights the pressing environmental issues regarding the persistence, transmission, and infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 in different environmental matrices. Aiming to address this issue with further and deeper insight into the SARS-CoV-2 emergence, a list of most concerned questions is given that should be carefully considered and answered in future studies.