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With the spread of coronavirus, many people have purchased water filters or stocked up on bottled water out of fear that tap water could carry the virus and drinking it could result in them getting sick. If you share these fears, keep reading for what experts have to say about water and COVID-19.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said that coronavirus has not been found in drinking water.
According to their website, "The virus that causes COVID-19 has not been detected in drinking water. Conventional water treatment methods that use filtration and disinfection, such as those in most municipal drinking water systems, should remove or inactivate the virus that causes COVID-19."
With that in mind, if you are accustomed to drinking filtered or bottled water, you don't need to stop; an extra layer of filtration won't do any harm. However, if you typically drink tap water, there is no reason to change that now.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also commented on the fears surrounding drinking tap water right now: "There is no higher priority for EPA than protecting the health and safety of Americans. EPA is providing this important information about COVID-19 as it relates to drinking water and wastewater to provide clarity to the public."
The statement continues, "The COVID-19 virus has not been detected in drinking-water supplies. Based on current evidence, the risk to water supplies is low. Americans can continue to use and drink water from their tap as usual."
Plus, according to Forbes, "Even if the COVID-19 coronavirus were to somehow make the epic journey of getting into your drinking water, it may not be at high enough concentrations to be of risk to you."
The article continues, "Every virus has a minimum infectious dose, the amount of virus that needs to be present to cause illness. Although it’s not completely clear yet what the minimum infectious dose for SARS-CoV-2 may be, dilution makes it less likely that what reaches you can surpass this threshold."
