The excerpt is near the bottom of the article. Much eye-glazing science stuff before that.
Aside that, if the traps in the toilet and sink went dry...maybe.
More likely that vacant apartment was a shooting gallery or had squatters.
Yeah, those people are known for their good hygene. s/
I remember an article or two a while ago (March?) which said that the covid stayed on surfaces for up to 14 days. But later it was shown that it was just remnants of the virus that were detected and were not infectious. Don’t know how these experiments or results compare - I don’t have time to read the whole article.
Also, I notice this is from the November 2020 issue of the journal, so maybe a little time-travel is occurring here as well. :)
“Seems to be China related, so reliability? “
Hong Kong concluded the same, long ago. It will move through sewage systems and aerosol transmission.
Nothing new here.
There is some limited evidence for the theoretical possibility for aerosolized transmission of SARS-CoV-2, but based on its R0 of approximately 2.5, there’s no way that’s a primary vector. If it happens at all, it’s likely quite rare. Same with fomites. Respiratory droplets appear to be the primary transmission vector.
Reduce the volume and range of droplets, reduce the chances of spread. Easy enough to do. Stay away from crowds, especially indoors. While indoors in public, mask up. Go outside and enjoy yourself all you like. Do that and the spread will be minimized overall.
The distinction between “droplet” (6 feet) and “airborne” (more than six feet) is more of a fuzzy line.
Most classic “airborne” diseases (Measles, for example) have very high attack rates at long distance and therefore airborne spread is easily proven.
SARS CoV 2 does not appear to have a high attack rate at a distance, AND there is a fraction of the population of unknown size with innate resistance, so true airborne spread is hard to demonstrate.
Also, the role of modern HVAC systems in concentration and spread is poorly understood.
What is certain is that viral RNA from SARS CoV 2 has been detected in air samples quite far away from infected people, and that it remains there for long enough, to qualify as “airborne spread”.
Q: Was what was present infectious?
If not....meh.