A world-first anti-COVID spray is set to hit the market and it's been developed by a team of Australian researchers.
University of Melbourne's professor David Nisbe is a co-creator of the technology and said it only needs to be applied once to protect surfaces from bacteria for up to two years.
Nisbe said the breakthrough spray could prevent the spread of common viruses and bacteria.
"The virus will just ping off the surfaces or if it's in a liquid environment it will just roll off with those water droplets," he said.
"The real breakthrough for me is it's durable."
The spray forms a barrier against contamination and researchers said if bacteria doesn't get through, it will be killed.
"For this study, we tested metal surfaces. However, in the past we have shown the spray can be applied to any surface, for example, blotting paper, plastic, bricks, tiles, glass and metal," Nisbe said.
He said the coating had successfully prevented up to 99.85 per cent of bacteria strain growth.
"We also saw an 11 fold reduction in virus contamination," Nisbe said.
The spray is applied in the same manner as spray paint, although smaller quantities are needed.
The spray is now fully developed and is almost ready to be rolled out.
It could be available to buy within 12 months.
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