Remember last spring when people were wiping down everything from door knobs, kitchen counters, home-delivered groceries and even mail with Clorox wipes? This wasn’t necessarily bad advice, there was just a lot to learn about this novel virus. It was a reasonable assumption at the time. We know that seasonal flu can often be transmitted via door knobs and other common surfaces.
However, many studies have now concluded that the chance of getting a COVID-19 infection from surface contamination–including well-controlled studies of COVID-19 wards in hospitals–is quite small. The best way to protect your family is social distancing, hand washing and wearing a mask when in public.
For more information on these new studies, listen to this 3-minute audio clip from NPR.