Coronavirus has been causing serious health risks globally for more than three years. According to recent reports, the risk of new variants of Corona is increasing rapidly in many countries these days, These variants are said to be relatively more infectious, and due to their ability to dodge the body's immunity, they can also get infected. There is a risk of infection in those who have already been vaccinated or those whose body has developed immunity after natural infection. Health experts say all people need to remain cautious about the risks of corona.

In a recent study conducted on the risks of corona, researchers said that no matter how many measures we take to prevent infection, knowingly or unknowingly we are carrying a big source of corona with us. The research found that at a time when coronavirus cases were at their peak across the world, more than half of the mobile phones tested were found to be contaminated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This can be a major reason for spreading infection among people.

There can be serious viruses on the phone
Based on the report of the study, researchers said that to protect against corona, it is very important that you keep cleaning the phone from time to time. Researchers from Bond University in Australia conducted a comprehensive review of 15 studies conducted in 10 countries that examined SARS-Cav-2 on mobile phones in hospital settings from 2019 to 2023.

The presence of coronavirus was confirmed on 231 (45 percent) of the 511 phones tested. Researchers say that this can be a major reason for increasing the spread of infection, for which everyone needs to take special precautions.

What did the study find?
According to the report published in the Journal of Infection and Public, the coronavirus can survive for 28 days on glass surfaces like mobile phones. With more than seven billion mobile phones in use worldwide, these devices effectively act as a 'third hand' for coronavirus infection.

Dr. Lottie Tajouri, lead researcher and associate professor of molecular biology at the university, believes that this is a major risk factor considering the prevention of infectious diseases. Despite strict containment measures such as lockdowns, border closures, and social distancing, this could be a major risk for the rapid global spread of COVID-19, which we always carry around with us.

What do researchers say?
'You can wash your hands as often as you want, but as soon as you touch your mobile phone, you contaminate yourself again,' say researchers. Citing the study, he said that 11,163 germs were found on the mobile phones of 26 health workers, including pathogenic viruses and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

This is not just a risk factor for coronavirus, there can also be a risk of many other types of infectious diseases spreading through phones.

Take care of the cleanliness of your phone along with your hands.
Throwing light on the findings of the study, the researchers say that along with taking care of hand hygiene, ultraviolet-C light phone sanitizer should also be arranged, so that the risk of bacteria and viruses present on the phone can be reduced. UV-C light effectively kills germs by destroying microbial DNA and can disinfect the phone within 5-10 seconds.

Where this facility is not available, they should make continuous efforts to maintain the cleanliness of the phone.

(PC: Freepik)