Contamination of surfaces by pathogenic microorganisms is an important route of infection with this being especially important in healthcare settings. Research has suggested that healthcare professionals frequently encounter pathogenic microorganisms through contact with contaminated surfaces—one study suggested that 52% of healthcare personnel acquired vancomycin-resistant Enterococci through contact with surfaces, whilst another study claimed that 40% of healthcare personnel who touched contaminated surfaces acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus on their hands. Recent studies have suggested that SARS-CoV-2 can persist on stainless steel for 48 h and can remain viable on plastic for up to 72 h. This is also observed with bacterial species, as Escherichia coli can survive for more than 28 days on stainless steel, and S. aureus has been found to persist on stainless steel for six weeks, and can persist on polyethylene for over 90 days. The pathogenic bacteria Acinetobacter baumannii, which can cause nosocomial infections, has been found to be able to survive for seven days on glass, and for more than 25 days on cotton, although other studies have found that strains associated with hospital outbreaks can survive for up to 33 days on glass surfaces. Klebsiella pneumoniae, another frequent cause of nosocomial infections, can survive for seven days on stainless steel and polycarbonate surfaces, and can remain viable on aluminium for more than 15 days. The pathogenic fungus Candida albicans has been found to survive for three days on both glass and steel surfaces, and could survive on fabric surfaces for 14 weeks, whilst Aspergillus fumigatus has been found to remain viable on plastic surfaces for up to a month.