June 16th 2020
According to estimates, the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is able to maintain its viability in sewage, as well as in polluted rivers and lakes for several weeks. Thus, it can infect not only people but also animals
A group of researchers studied wastewater; The WHO does not yet have evidence that the coronavirus remains in the water.
The research published in the medRxiv website , and has not yet been evaluated by other specialists, suggests that the virus SARS-CoV-2 can survive in water for up to 25 days.
The researchers studied the risk of infection with the virus causing COVID-19 in black water in 39 countries. In addition, they expressed their concern, since other bodies of water, such as rivers, may be contaminated with this waste.
Scientists from Poland and the UK have studied how dangerous it can be to get sewage into natural freshwater bodies, such as rivers and lakes. According to researchers, whose work has so far been published on the medRxiv preprint portal, contamination of freshwater systems with pathogenic microorganisms can have serious consequences, including for the environment and the second wave of Covid-19.
Research indicates that in countries with high cases of contagion, fecal waste water may have doses greater than 100 copies of the pathogen in 100 milliliters of water. A person who ingests contaminated water could receive more than 468 copies of the new coronavirus strain , thereby increasing their likelihood of transmission.
n addition, scientists talked about the survival of coronavirus in seawater. According to them, its stability at different pH values and salt concentrations in cold water may mean that it is able to “live” both in freshwater bodies and in the seas and oceans. Although human-to-human transmission is recognized as the primary pathway, SARS-CoV-2 can accumulate in acceptors such as mollusks.
“In addition, ACE2 receptors in many cetacean species are very similar to their human counterpart, so they may be vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2. Of particular concern are whales, as large volumes of water constantly pass through their throats, ”the scientists concluded.
It should be noted that this research is still to be reviewed by other specialists and it is a previous version, the findings of which are not yet certified or accepted by the scientific community.
What does the WHO say?
On its website about the coronavirus, the World Health Organization ( WHO ) emphasizes that so far it has no evidence that SARS-CoV-2 remains in the water, even in sewage.
The agency adds that it has also had no reports of any cases of fecal-oral transmission of the pathogen. However, it is still studying some ongoing research into the ways the virus spread
Source: medrxiv.org, naked-science.ru, who.int
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