Frequently Asked Questions

How long can the virus last on surfaces?

A recent CDC investigation found the virus was was detecable on surfaces for 17 days. ¹ ²
Of course temperature, humidity, surface type and other conditions can affect how long the virus remains viable in a multitude of conditions. ³

Does this resemble any known virus?

Yes, hence the name SARS-Cov-2 it resembles the strain of SARS seen in the 2003 outbreak.
According to this analysis SARS-CoV-2 shares a 79.6% identicle sequence idenity to SARS-CoV. Both viruses interact with ACE II receptors. ⁴

How many strains of the virus are there?

Recent reports from China have dubbed two notable variations, the newer and possibly more aggressive L-type and the original S-type.
The Chinese report believes the S-type to be less agressive and more common due to less selection pressure. ⁵ More research needs to be done to confirm these assessments.

You can use nextstrain.org to track the progress and location of the mutations.

Can patients be reinfected?

There have been anecdotal reports in China, and a few outside, of COVID-19 survivors testing positive days after discharge.
However, there are several possible explanations for this. There have been many issues with test kits with some reportedly giving false positives and false negatives which were especially common in early versions of the tests. ⁶ ⁷ There are also papers claiming that SAR-Cov-2 lingers in the body for around two weeks after symptoms dissapear.⁸ The erratic progression of symptoms described in anecdotal reports could easily lead to premature discharges in overwhelmed systems as well.

Regardless, it would be dangerously presumptive to rule out the possibility of reinfection until we know more about how the immune system responds to COVID-19.

What animals can transmit the disease?

While the capacity of transmission from animal reservoirs to humans is unknown it is best to err on the side of caution as a Chinese paper speculates the potential may exist in some mammals. ⁹
Anecdotal reports suggests that cats and dogs can contract the disease, but there is still not nearly enough research to say for certain. ¹⁰ ¹¹ ¹²

The CDC maintains that there is currenlty no evidence of companion animals being able to spread the virus. ¹³

How are pregnant women impacted?

The Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists has a comprehensive FAQ section regarding pregnant women and COVID-19. Click here to visit ¹⁴

If a woman is pregnant how will the child be impacted?

While pregnant patients infected with COVID-19 have given live births who are otherwise healthy some infants went on to display COVID-19 symptoms but many outcomes were favorable. ¹⁵