How does copper affect the coronavirus?

In South Korea, a new type of face mask that contains special fiber combined with copper and ion is believed to be suitable protection against the novel coronavirus. The company that invented this “blue mask” claimed a 99.8% effectivity in eliminating viruses.

The question is, can copper really kill viruses or bacteria?

According to Science Daily, “Metallic copper surfaces kill microbes on contact, decimating their populations. They do so literally in minutes, by causing massive membrane damage after about a minute's exposure."

How about for the virus that causes the COVID-19?

The National Institutes of Health discovered that the coronavirus can stay on surfaces for hours, even days.

“The scientists found that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was detectable in aerosols for up to three hours,” it said. “Up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel.”

On copper, the findings of NIH show that COVID-19 can stay on its surface for only up to four hours.

Here's a chart made by the National Geographic:

Arirang News, a TV news program in South Korea, reported on March 19 the effectivity of copper face masks in killing COVID-19.

Woo Jung-gu, the CEO of the company that produces the said “blue mask," claimed that “99.8% of a virus died within one minute of coming into contact with the mask and had disappeared within 10 minutes.”

“We figured out how fast the virus dies with this fabric and we proved it can't survive past 60 seconds," he added.

Another type of face mask coated with copper have gone popular in South Korea. Other products that contain copper also became in demand.

Watch the Arirang News report here:

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Sources:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110216120436.htm
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/new-coronavirus-stable-hours-surfaces
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/03/covid-overview-coronavirus/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHeKnDw7d6w

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