Inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 in the Liquid Phase: Are Aqueous Hydrogen Peroxide and Sodium Percarbonate Efficient Decontamination Agents?

A diluted 3% w/w hydrogen peroxide solution acidified to pH 2.5 by adding citric acid inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virus by more than 4 orders of magnitude in 5 min. After a contact ti me of 15 min, no viral replication was detected. Aqueous solutions of sodium percarbonate inactivated coronavirus by >3 log(10) diminution in 15 min. Conversely, H2O2 solutions with no additives displayed a scarce virucidal activity (1.1 log(10) diminution in 5 min), confirming that a pH-modifying ingredient is necessary to have a H2O2 -based disinfectant active against the novel coronavirus.

Automated summary

In experiments, it was found that adjusting the pH of hydrogen peroxide by adding citric acid can enhance its effectiveness in inactivating the novel coronavirus, while aqueous solutions of sodium percarbonate were also proven to effectively deactivate the virus.