COVID-19 virus survives on surfaces within thin film: A nanofilm of liquid persists for hours on surfaces contaminated with droplets containing COVID-19, helping the virus survive

To find out how the COVID-19 virus survives on surfaces, researchers are exploring the drying times of thin liquid films that persist after most respiratory droplets evaporate. While the drying time of typical respiratory droplets is on the order of seconds, the survival time of the COVID-19 virus was on the order of hours. In a new article, researchers describe how a nanometers-thick liquid film clings to the surface, allowing the virus to survive.