According to a March 24, 2022 article on Yahoo News, studies are showing that the Omicron COVID variant is lasting longer on surfaces and on the skin than its predecessors (1).
This is bad news for those of us with underlying health conditions as well as the population in general.
Early in the pandemic, it was questioned as to whether the SARS-CoV-2 could be spread through contact with surfaces containing the virus. This has been a continuous line of study.
According to the article, "In two recent studies, teams of researchers found that the omicron variant lasted longer on surfaces and on human skin compared to other variants.
The studies test omicron and previous variants on surfaces people would find in their daily lives, and one of the studies tests it on human skin samples...
"In the first study (2), researchers obtained human skin samples from autopsy specimens for the experiment. They also used plastic as another test surface. Virus survival time was calculated as time when they were no longer able to detect virus in the samples placed on the surfaces. The original SARS-CoV-2 strain found in Wuhan lasted 56 hours on the plastic surface. Later variants alpha, beta, gamma and delta lasted for about 191, 157, 59 and 114 hours, respectively. The omicron variant lasted 193.5 hours.
"On human skin, the original coronavirus lasted 8.6 hours. The later variants ranged from 11 to 19.6 hours, and omicron lasted for 21.1 hours on human skin."
These statistics are a little scary but fortunately, we have several powerful tools that can help make things easier and safer for us.
In the second study (3), researchers made comparisons between the original strain and the Omicron variant. They used various surfaces for the study.
"After four days, [the original] virus was found only on the glass surface. For the omicron variant, the researchers could recover virus from the surfaces seven days later."
The Omicron variant was also detectable on porous surfaces for a longer amount of time.
A new subvariant . . .
According to an article from The Hill publication (4), "A subvariant of Omicron known as BA.2 is now the dominant strain in the United States, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The variant is rising in numbers because it is more transmissible than the original Omicron strain. It is estimated that it is about 30% more transmissible.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of March 26, the BA.2 strain represents 54.9% of the new cases for that week.
There is "no evidence that BA.2 causes more severe disease than the original omicron strain or that it evades the protection from vaccines to a greater degree."
“CDC says the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron is now dominant in the US,” tweeted Leana Wen, a public health professor at George Washington University. “Reminder that while this appears to be even more contagious than the original Omicron, it is not more virulent than previous strains, and existing vaccines still protect well against severe disease.”
The CDC is keeping a close eye on the situation especially in New York and in New England areas where the "BA.2 variant has been reaching levels above 50%," according to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.
“This small increase in cases in the Northeast is something that we are closely watching as we look for any indication of an increase in severe disease from COVID-19 and track whether it represents any strain on our hospitals. We have not yet seen this so far," added Walensky.
The tools to kill COVID
As we mentioned above, we have the tools to kill COVID and its many variants.
You can use Vital Oxide as a daily sanitizer and you can also use it in the 2-step process which can continue to kill germs, bacteria, and viruses for up to 90 days!
Vital Oxide
Our Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Registered, NSF Approved, Hospital Grade, Deep Disinfection Service Kills 99.999% of Viruses, Bacteria and Pathogens has been approved by the EPA for use against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that caused the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). We meet the EPA's emerging pathogen requirements for viruses showing efficacy against enveloped and non-enveloped viruses, both large and small.
Viruses, bacteria, mold, and mildew have no chance of survival!
This amazing product is "Step 1" in our system is an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant cleaner, mold killer, and odor eliminator. Its formula contains a unique form of stabilized chlorine dioxide that is very effective at killing bacteria, viruses, and mold yet non-corrosive to treated articles and gentle enough to handle without causing skin irritation. It is ready to use with no mixing required—just spray, wipe, or fog right from the bottle.
BioProtect
Use as a non-toxic, food-surface safe antimicrobial shield that protects surfaces from microbes such as odor-causing bacteria, algae, fungi (mold and mildew) for your increased health and safety. Effective on hard non-porous washable bathroom and non-food contact kitchen surfaces and fixtures around the home or office, this antimicrobial surface protectant is also able to be used on carpets and upholstery to inhibit the growth of odor-causing bacteria, bacteria that cause staining and discoloration, and fungi (mold and mildew). You can apply this in homes, businesses, school systems, hotels, transportation, and much more in need of inhibiting the growth of bacteria that causes staining and discoloration.
Product Benefits:
Great for home and office use in large scale settings
Invisible micro biostatic coating inhibits bacteria growth for 3 months
Safe for use on carpets and upholstery in hotels and houses
The water-based formula is odor and color free, safe for any surface
BioProtect Hydrating Hand Sanitizer
Don't let the fact that the new Omicron variant survives on skin longer prevent you from going out in public. Use some of the specially formulated BioProtect Hydrating Hand Sanitizer to give you an unmatched level of protection and softer skin, too!
Germs are all around us, from door handles to airplane trays, to your children’s toys. The most important thing you can do to protect yourself, your family, and your colleagues from getting sick is to keep your hands clean!
BIOPROTECT™ Hydrating Hand Sanitizer is an FDA-registered hand sanitizer that kills 99.99% of germs and bacteria on your hands for up to 6 hours!
Moisturizes and hydrates hands as it kills germs and bacteria.
Infused with soothing aloe vera.
Fragrance-free, dye-free, paraben-free, and sulfate-free.
Questions?
If you have more questions about how any of these products work to make your home, church, school, and workplace safer, please contact us.
Our 2-step process begins with completely killing any existing bacteria, viruses, and germs that are on a surface and getting in deep and eliminating those nasty odors, too!
If you want to learn more about how Vital Oxide and/or how the 2-step process can help you or if you have any questions about odor elimination, you can contact an agent near you. They will be happy to assist you.
Resources
https://www.yahoo.com/news/omicron-lasts-longer-surfaces-skin-192113694.html
2. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.18.476607v2
3. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.03.09.483703v1
4. https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/600172-omicron-subvariant-ba2-now-dominant-strain-in-the-us-cdc