It’s time to bust out those Clorox wipes and disinfect your home (if you haven’t already). On Sunday, scientists in Guangzhou found traces of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) on the front doorknob of the home of one patient infected with the deadly virus, according to a spokesperson from the city’s disease control and prevention center, as cited by Southern Metropolis Daily.

The disturbing reality on how the virus can be spread has even led some apartment buildings to tape plastic wrap over elevator buttons and door switches, although we’re not entirely sure on the effectiveness of that approach.



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Zhang Zhoubin, the deputy director of the city’s disease control and prevention center, told Southern Metropolis Daily that areas susceptible to contamination include faucet handles, remote controls, keyboards and, of course, mobile phones. The Guangzhou center has been receiving over 600 lab samples per day, as the number of confirmed and suspected cases in Canton continues to rise.

The center is also testing the living conditions of diagnosed patients, and will carry out epidemiological investigations that test often-used surfaces such as doorknobs, keyboards and phones.

As of February 3, there are 17,335 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in China, with 361 dead and 487 healed. In Guangzhou, there are now 200 confirmed cases, second most in the province behind Shenzhen, which reported 245 confirmed patients.

For a list of locations in Guangzhou where cases of the novel coronavirus has been confirmed, click here.

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[Cover image via Pixabay]