A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found traces of the coronavirus in the cabins of the Diamond Princess cruise ship 17 days after passengers disembarked, but before the surfaces were disinfected.

Tara C. Smith, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Kent State University, warned against misinterpreting those findings, and pointed out that the researchers didn't specify what surfaces they found it on, how common it was, or whether it was live virus that could infect people.

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine published March 17 found the virus was able to live 3 hours in the air and up to 3 days on plastic and stainless steel.

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Researchers found traces of the new coronavirus on surfaces in cabins of the Diamond Princess 17 days after those who were quarantined on board disembarked, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

The novel virus' RNA was found in the cabins of both asymptotic and symptomatic passengers before the surfaces were disinfected. The report didn't specify what surfaces it was found on. The researchers wrote that they couldn't tell whether disease transmission actually occurred from the contaminated surfaces, and that more research is needed.

Tara C. Smith, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Kent State University, also pointed out that the researchers didn't say how many rooms they found the RNA in or how common it was.

"Say it with me: *viral RNA doesn't necessarily mean live virus was present,*" Smith said on Twitter. "Now you're going to see 'coronavirus can live on surfaces for 17 days!' over and over, but we don't know that based on this study and for those using live virus, it's much shorter."

She told Insider: "There could be infectious virus present, though I'd think that's unlikely based on the other research that has shown SARSCoV2 generally dies on surfaces after 24-72 hours. We couldn't say for sure unless someone did viral culture."

Previous research has shown that how long the coronavirus can live on an inanimate object depends on the type of surface and the temperature. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine published March 17 found the virus was able to live 3 hours in the air and up to 3 days on plastic and stainless steel.

Results from a peer-reviewed study in the New England Journal of Medicine published March 17. Shayanne Gal/Business Insider

While it's possible to get the new virus by touching an infected object then touching your face, it's a respiratory illness, so it's primarily transmitted by inhaling droplets of it in the air after an infected person coughs or sneezes.

That's why it's so important to wash your hands often, avoid touching your face, and disinfect objects that people touch regularly.

The CDC warns against the risk for 'rapid spread of disease' on cruise ships

The new CDC report focuses on COVID-19 on cruise ships, and the public health response to the virus in that setting.

"COVID-19 on cruise ships poses a risk for rapid spread of disease, causing outbreaks in a vulnerable population, and aggressive efforts are required to contain spread," the report said.

Passengers wearing face masks have their body temperatures taken after leaving the coronavirus-hit cruise ship Diamond Princess at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, Japan on February 21, 2020. Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters

The Diamond Princess, which initially had over 3,700 passengers and crew, was quarantined in early February off the coast of Japan, after a man who disembarked in Hong Kong in late January tested positive for the coronavirus. The quarantine lasted nearly a month.

As more people on board tested positive, those still on the ship were confined to their cabins. Positive coronavirus cases were taken off the ship to be treated, but by the time the quarantine was over and many began to repatriated and tested for the virus, more than 700 people were positive for COVID-19. Nine people from the ship have died.

Some experts criticized the quarantine and said it allowed the virus to spread.

"The quarantine was not justified, and violated the individual rights of the passengers while allowing the virus to literally pick them off one-by-one," Dr. Amesh Adalja, who works at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Business Insider's Morgan McFall-Johnsen.

The CDC concluded: "Cruise ships are often settings for outbreaks of infectious diseases because of their closed environment, contact between travelers from many countries, and crew transfers between ships."

The agency issued an unprecedented travel advisory warning Americans not to go on any cruises worldwide because of the coronavirus pandemic.