Can the coronavirus live on the bottom of your shoes? Local doctor analyzes risk, shares tips

During a forum hosted by ABC7 in which doctors answered viewer-submitted questions about the coronavirus, one question received an eye-opening response.

Dr. Anthony Cardillo, CEO of Mend Urgent Care, was posed with the following question: Can the coronavirus live on the bottom of your shoes?

Cardillo highlighted a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which sought to find where the greatest percentage of the virus would be found in a large hospital facility. The answer: the floor.

"When they swabbed all the different surfaces in that hospital... they found the floors had the highest concentration... We know that when people sneeze and cough, it's a droplet that falls to the ground. So those droplets are being transmitted as you're walking," he said.

Cardillo said they also found that the greatest number of viral particles were on the floor of the hospital pharmacy.

"So if you extrapolate that into our own lives, the answer is yes. You should definitely be mindful about changing your shoes, wearing shoe coverings...if you're out and about and you come home, it's probably wise at this point to adopt the 'no shoes in the house' policy."

Watch the video above for the full interview.