The virus responsible for Covid-19 can survive for 28 days on banknotes, stainless steel and on our phone screens, it has been claimed.
Researchers say it can linger for up to four weeks in strict lab conditions.
The worrying findings from Australia's national science agency suggest it can survive for far longer than first thought.
On its website, they say: "Survival rates of SARS-CoV-2 were determined at different temperatures and D-values, Z-values and half-life were calculated.
"We obtained half lives of between 1.7 and 2.7 days at 20c, reducing to a few hours when temperature was elevated to 40c.
"With initial viral loads broadly equivalent to the highest titres excreted by infectious patients, viable virus was isolated for up to 28 days at 20c from common surfaces such as glass, stainless steel and both paper and polymer banknotes.
"Conversely, infectious virus survived less than 24 hours at 40c on some surfaces."
Concluding their findings, Australia's national science agency said: "This demonstrate SARS-CoV-2 can remain infectious for significantly longer time periods than generally considered possible.
"These results could be used to inform improved risk mitigation procedures to prevent the fomite spread of COVID-19."
However, Professor Ron Eccles - the former director Common Cold Centre at Cardiff University - slammed the study.
He said any suggestion that the virus could survive for 28 days was causing "unnecessary fear to the public".
He said: "Viruses are spread on surfaces from mucus in coughs and sneezes and dirty fingers.
"This study did not use fresh human mucus as a vehicle to spread the virus.
"Fresh mucus is a hostile environment for viruses as it contains lots of white cells that produce enzymes to destroy viruses and can also contain antibodies and other chemicals to neutralise viruses.
"In my opinion infectious viruses will only persist for hours in mucus on surfaces rather than days."
