Corona virus: Can Covid19 survive in drinking water?

Corona virus: Can Covid 19 survive in drinking water?

It would probably not be wrong to say that we know a lot about the corona virus but do not know anything. Ever since this deadly global plague broke out, we hear something new about it every day.

It was initially said to be spread by touching an infected person and touching an object or place, but later it was also revealed to be spread by droplets or droplets in the air.

When this hypothesis began to be accepted, there was talk of a safe distance for the spread of these drops: first one meter, then two meters and now even more. There is a similar debate on its treatment: some are talking about onion, ginger and hot water tips, some are talking about hydroxy chloroquine. If someone is urging you to kill the virus by standing in the sun, then there is talk of 'disinfectant injection'.

It's a long debate, but the bottom line is that no cure has yet emerged. However, we believe that hand washing and social distance can prevent the virus. But the question arises as to what will happen to the water from which the hands are washed, can the virus survive in it? ? Can it spread through water and can the virus stay in drinking water?

If a person infected with the corona virus coughs or sneezes while sitting near water, will the droplets coming out of his body fall into the water and contaminate him and if so, how long will the virus remain in the water?

Corona virus drinking the water or sewer and water could survive?

The World Health Organization (WHO) said in a March 19 document on covid 19 that there was no evidence that covid 19 could survive in drinking water and sewage. According to the agency, there are only two main routes of transmission of Covid 19: by inhalation and by touch. Inhaled drops are formed when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

These drops can also fall to a level where the virus can survive, so the environment around any infected person can become a means of transmitting the virus.

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Although research so far has shown that while Covid 19 may be present in drinking water, studies of other corona viruses found in humans have found no evidence that they may be present on Earth or in groundwater sources. Or are transmitted through drinking water.

Dr Abdul Hafeez, a founding member of the Association of Pakistani Physicians and Surgeons of the United Kingdom (APPSUK), an organization of Pakistani-born doctors in the UK, says there is no need to be afraid of drinking water.

"If the water is well filtered and contains water-purifying ingredients, they will not allow the virus to feed on it."

According to the World Health Organization, water treatment methods, including filtration and disinfection, neutralize the covid 19 virus, and in areas where it is not available, home remedies can be adopted. The danger is that no vaccine has yet been developed for the virus and it could take a long time because the virus is showing different types.

Dr Abdul Hafeez says: 'For example, if the virus shows five types, then the question arises as to which type is in which and which vaccine is required for it. The vaccine can only be made when we finally know the behavior of the virus and that is the biggest challenge.

This is what Dr. Yahya, a consultant oncologist at University Hospital Birmingham, says.

He says that although there is no evidence that the corona virus survives in drinking and sewage water, the virus that causes covid 19 has been found in dirty water.

She says, however, that there is no concrete evidence that if a person is exposed to sewage or sewage system water, he or she may also have covid 19. "So far, it has been shown that waste management and septic treatment of plants inactivate or eliminate the virus, which reduces the risk of disease transmission," said Dr. Sands.

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What has research on water done in the past?

The corona virus was first discovered in the 1930s and has been under investigation ever since. It is classified as a group of RNA viruses, including mammals and birds. In humans, it affects the respiratory system, and an infected person can recover from a minor respiratory illness and be fatal. Its deadliest varieties are Stork, Myers and the recent Covid 19.

According to experts in past research, types of corona virus such as storks can live in tap water kept at normal temperature for 12 days and in dirty water kept at the same temperature for two or three days. The cooler the space, the longer it will last.

According to a study in the US National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine entitled 'Health Survival of Corona Virus in Water and Wastewater' Are more sensitive than and they also get lost quickly in dirty water.

According to research, corona virus is inactivated in tap water in 10 days at 23 degrees Celsius and the same process takes place in 100 days at 40 degrees Celsius. The corona virus is eliminated in dirty water in 2 to 4 days. While the polio virus lives longer than all corona viruses, except in 4 سین C tap water, in all types of test waters.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), the virus that causes covid-19 has not been found in drinking water at all. "Traditional water purification methods, which use filtration and disinfection and are mostly used in drinking water systems, eliminate or inactivate the virus that causes covid-19," he said. ۔ ' The CDCP also said there was no evidence that covid-19 could spread to people through swimming pools, hot tubs or water play areas. Proper care of these facilities, including water treatment with chemicals such as chlorine and bromine, disinfects and disables the virus in the water. This is good news for the coastal states of the United States where summer There is talk of opening the beach on arrival but water here may not be as big a problem as social distances because Large bodies of water may carry the virus and neutralize it, but it can be transmitted from one person to another through droplets, and that is the biggest danger. Probably a factor as to why they're doing so poorly in Europe.

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On the other hand, the US Environmental Protection Agency has also asked the Americans to continue drinking water from tap water as usual as there is no evidence that there is any threat to the drinking water supply. "There is no evidence that the corona virus is spread through drinking water or sewage," said Thames Water, a leading provider of water and sewerage services, on its website. "We test the water regularly to check (water) quality, and all our staff follow government guidelines, our own high standards and personal hygiene, and health and safety principles."

Covid 19 and the sewerage system: how much risk?

Experts have found evidence that covid-19 has been found in unprocessed wastewater. But according to the CDC, they have not yet found any cases that show that if a person is exposed to such water or sewage system or any part of his body is infected, the virus can infect him. The disease spread to the person.

"Currently, there is no risk of transmitting the virus, which is the cause of COVID-19, to well-designed and protected sewage systems."

Referring to past and recent research, Dr. Syed Nawaz Hussain, Head of the Department of Pharmacology, Punjab University College of Pharmacy, says that several reports published in scientific journals have clearly pointed out that Corona Viruses do not end up in sewage water and can return in a more dangerous way. "In fact, people who get the corona virus can spread it through their waste," he said. So we have to think very seriously about dirty water and mud. ”He said that as far as drinking water was concerned, there was no evidence to suggest that it contained the virus. * This is because of the inclusion of pesticides in water treatment plants that purify it.

How can a virus survive in water?

According to the World Health Organization, the covid-19 virus is an 'enveloped' virus, meaning it has a thin membrane on top. Enveloped viruses are generally less stable in the environment and are more affected by oxidants such as chlorine.

Although there is no evidence yet that the Covid-19 virus can survive in water and sewage, it is more likely that the virus will activate faster than non-enveloped viruses that spread through water. Such as hepatitis A, etc. For example, a study found that the surrogate human corona virus survived for two days in de-chlorinated tap water and in hospital wastewater at a temperature of 20 degrees. Common disinfectants such as heat, high and low pH, sunlight and chlorine play a role in eliminating it.