Differences in environmental stability among SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern: Omicron has higher stability

ABSTRACT

SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) could cause significant human and economic damage owing to increased infectivity and transmissibility, and understanding their characteristics is crucial for infection control. Here, we analyzed differences in viral stability and disinfection efficacy between the Wuhan strain and all VOCs. On plastic and skin surfaces, Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants exhibited more than two-fold longer survival than the Wuhan strain, and the Omicron variant had the longest survival time. Specifically, survival times of the Wuhan strain, Alpha variant, Beta variant, Gamma variant, Delta variant, and Omicron variant on skin surfaces were 8.6 h (95% CI, 6.5-10.9 h), 19.6 h (95% CI, 14.8-25.3 h), 19.1 h (95% CI, 13.9- 25.3 h), 11.0 h (95% CI, 8.1-14.7 h), 16.8 h (95% CI, 13.1-21.1 h), and 21.1 h (95% CI, 15.8- 27.6 h), respectively. In vitro, disinfectant effectiveness evaluations showed that Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron were slightly more resistant to ethanol than the Wuhan strain. However, ex vivo evaluation showed that on human skin, all viruses were completely inactivated by exposure to 35 w/w % ethanol for 15 s. The high environmental stability of these VOCs could increase transmission risk and contribute to spread. Additionally, the Omicron variant might have been replaced by the Delta variant due to its increased environmental stability and rapid spread. To prevent VOC spread, it is highly recommended that current infection control practices use disinfectants with appropriate ethanol concentrations.