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According to a recent study conducted by Japanese researchers, coronavirus remains active on human skin for nine hours hence frequent washing of hands is a must to combat the spread of COVID-19. 

In a study published by Clinical Infectious Diseases journal, it has been stated that the pathogen that causes the virus survives on human skin for about 1.8 hours by comparison. 

The nine-hour survival of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus strain that causes COVID-19) on human skin may increase the risk of contact transmission in comparison with IAV (influenza A virus), thus accelerating the pandemic, the study states. 

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For the study, researchers tested skin collected from autopsy specimens, a day after their death and learnt that both COVID-19 and flu were inactivated within 15 seconds of applying ethanol, commonly used in alcohol-based hand sanitisers. 

The longer survival of SARS-CoV-2 on the skin increases contact-transmission risk; however, hand hygiene can reduce this risk, the study said.

Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China last year, nearly 40 million people have been infected with the deadly disease. The recent findings back World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, which emphasizes hand washing to reduce the transmission of the virus.