Can Cash Give You Covid?
Researchers in Germany wanted to know how long coronaviruses remain infectious on cash and coins. To find out, experts at the European Central Bank and at Ruhr-Universität Bochum treated various Euro coins and banknotes with viral solutions of different concentrations. They found that while the virus remained detectable on a stainless-steel surface for seven days, it took only three days to completely disappear from the 10-euro banknote. No infectious virus was detectable on the 10-cent, one-euro, and 5-cent coins after six days, two days and one hour, respectively. Study leader Daniel Todt, Ph.D., noted that “the rapid decline on the 5-cent piece is because it’s made of copper, on which viruses are known to be less stable.”
Source:
Daniel Todt et al, “A realistic transfer method reveals low risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission via contaminated euro coins and banknotes.” iScience, 2021; DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102908
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