Can the coronavirus spread through cash exchanges or live on credit cards? – USA TODAY

Coronavirus has spread from Wuhan, China, to countries across the world. But how do you know you have it? Here are some signs to watch out for. USA TODAY

Sometimes it's hard to avoid surfaces and objects that other peoplehave touched, which is a common way for bacteria to travel. Numerous studies have shown that ATMs, credit cards and thosepayment tablets popping up in restaurants are rife with all sorts of illness-causing germs. Plus, despite the rise of digital wallets, millions of Americans still useold-fashioned paper money every day.

Which raises the question: Can coronavirus live on the cash in your pocket or on the plastic in your purse?

If someone is coughing, and then they hand their credit card to someone across the counter, I wouldnt rule out the potential of transmission.

"Cash is not a good vehicle to transport respiratory viruses, however, cards have a little bit more potential," said Dr.Susan Whittier, a clinical microbiologistat New York-Presbyterian Hospital at Columbia University Medical Center."If someone is coughing, and then they hand their credit card to someone across the counter, I wouldnt rule out the potential of transmission."

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Shopper exchanges credit card with clerk.(Photo: RossHelen / Getty Images)

Viruses, in general, tend to survive longer on hard surfaces like credit cards and coins than they do on porous surfaces like fabric and dollar bills,Whittier added.

Still, Chinesebanks have started essentially washing money to destroy potentially infected cash before it's handed back out.

"Cash received by banks must be sterilized before being released to customers," the Chinese government's website recently announced. The nation is using ultraviolet light and heat to kill any bacteria on the surface of currency.

While it's certainly not necessary at this point,making digital paymentsand transfers could be a viable solution for people shaken bythemere threat of infected cash.

"Anytime you decrease coming in contact with contaminated surfaces, youre decreasing your risk of coming in contact with viruses," Whittier said.

There's been a surge of investment in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin since news of novel coronavirus hit the airwaves, which may or may not be pure coincidence.

(Photo: Getty Images)

Bitcoin, a market leader,saw a record month in January, breaking $100,000 a day in China alone, the company's CEO Stefan Rust told USA TODAY. Thedecentralized digital currency saw "a greater surge beyond that" globally in February.Bitcoin is currently trading $10,152 per share.

Second to Bitcoin in the mobile payments spaceisEthereum, which sawshares gradually rise in mid-January, though shares are pricedmuch lower at $278.The digital currency platformRipple (XRP) saw shares jumped around the same time.

China, which seems to beground zero for coronavirus cases,is a digitally savvy nation that's light-years ahead of the U.S. when it comes to doing away with paper money.

But the potential economic downturn as factories shutter, workers stay home and tourism haltscould drive investorsto flee risky stocks and park their cash in other places.

"People are looking for a safe haven and cryptocurrency might be that safe haven," Rust said.

Someone also took to Reddit this week to announced a new strain of cryptocurrency dubbed "Coronacoin," which claims to be backed by the spread of the deadly respiratory illness. A portion of the funds generated will be donated to Red Cross,according to coronatoken.org.

For now, Coronacoin is virtually worthless, trading at less than half a cent, according to the bitcoin tracking site CoinGecko.

Follow Dalvin Brown on Twitter: @Dalvin_Brown.

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Can the coronavirus spread through cash exchanges or live on credit cards? - USA TODAY