Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

St Andrews boffins given cash to see what surfaces kill Covid-19

Researchers are examining what surfaces may have an effect on Covid-19.
Researchers are examining what surfaces may have an effect on Covid-19.

Experts at St Andrews University are testing different surfaces and coatings for their effectiveness in killing the Covid-19 virus.

The team of physicists and virologists say their research could be a “game-changer” in the fight to stop the spread of the coronavirus, which can be transmitted through contact with surfaces in public spaces.

Previous research has shown the virus survives for a long time on commonly used materials such as stainless steel and plastic.

The St Andrews team, which has won £270,000 in UK Government funding to carry out the research, will build on existing knowledge about the antiviral properties of materials such as copper.

Professor Peter Wahl said: “The exploration of different ways in which the current Covid-19 pandemic can be kept under control is crucial to enable reopening society and ensure a flourishing economy.

“Apart from airborne direct transmission, indirect transmission via surfaces, in particular in public spaces, can play an important role in spreading the disease.”

Professor Andrea Di Falco, from the School of Physics and Astronomy, and Dr Catherine Adamson and Professor Terry Smith, from the School of Biology, are also involved.

Dr Adamson said: “This would potentially be a game changer for high-traffic surfaces in public spaces.

“We will build on existing knowledge about the antiviral properties of copper, and seek to optimise them.”

UK Government Minister for Scotland, Iain Stewart, said: “Scotland’s research sector is world-leading and the £270,000 funding from the UK Government will help to support and increase the talent and skills we have.

“It’s fantastic that Scottish researchers are responding to the pandemic and exploring one of the key issues – Covid-19 transmission through contact with surfaces in public spaces. The more we know about this virus the better we will be at fighting it.

“This funding is well deserved and an important contribution to tackling Covid-19.”