With the number of novel coronavirus cases now exceeding 2.7 million worldwide, concerns about the disease have been growing.
While many experts claim that washing clothes in a hot washing machine help kill bacteria, a new study suggests that this is not the case.
A study led by researchers at the University of Aix-Marseille found that the new coronavirus can actually survive temperatures as high as 92°C.
In this study, the team used cells from a patient with a novel coronavirus from Berlin to test his survival.
As part of this test, the researchers slowly heated the cells to 60°C.
The results show that at this temperature, the novel coronavirus can still survive and replicate in a non-sterile environment.
The researchers then heated the virus further to 92°C and found that it could survive for at least 15 minutes.
The results of the study have raised concerns about how laboratory researchers are handling the new coronavirus.
Swabs are usually heated to 60°C for "disinfection", but studies have shown that this may not be sufficient.
The researchers wrote: "The results of this study should help select the most appropriate inactivation protocol to prevent direct and indirect exposure of laboratory workers who detect Sars-CoV-2 to the virus."
At the same time, the study also showed that if you have the new coronavirus on your clothes, even a hot wash isn't enough to kill it.
Based on these findings, it may be wise to wash your clothes at high temperatures with added bleach.
The NHS advises: "Normal laundering of clothing reduces the risk of bacterial transmission. In some cases, clothing should be washed at higher than normal temperatures and bleaching products should be used to minimize the risk of transmission."
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