The risk of contracting a COVID-19 infection from contaminated surfaces is extremely low, according to the updated guidance published Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“It is possible for people to be infected by contact with contaminated surfaces or objects (fomites), but the risk is generally considered to be low,” said the agency.
The main way in which people are infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus is through exposure to respiratory droplets, said the CDC. While not impossible, the agency said the risk of infection by fomites is “generally less than 1 in 10,000”.
The CDC’s guidance, which comes with more than a year of pandemic, is the strongest argument against what some critics have dubbed “hygiene theater”.
Despite the fact that CDC scientists have been quite certain since at least the last spring that transmission is almost entirely through airborne particles, establishments have continued to insist on strict sanitation protocols, such as constantly cleaning shared surfaces with disinfectant. and closing schools and subways for “deep cleaning”.
According to the CDC, cleaning surfaces with soap or detergent, and not disinfecting, is enough to reduce the risk in most situations.
“There is little scientific support for the routine use of disinfectants in community settings, whether internal or external, to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from fomites,” said the agency. “In public spaces and community settings, the epidemiological data available … indicates that the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from fomites is low – compared to the risks of direct contact, droplet transmission or airborne transmission.”
Disinfection is recommended in closed community settings, where there has been a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, said the CDC.
CDC Director Rochelle WalenskyRochelle Walensky’s morning report The Hill – Biden’s infrastructure plan sparks debate over the definition told reporters that other strategies used, such as fogging, fumigation and electrostatic spraying, are not recommended as primary methods of disinfection due to security risks.
Surface transmission can be reduced with the use of masks consistently and correctly, as well as with proper hand washing, the agency said.