Viruses: Alive Or Not?

Walter Hintz in Wickliffe, Ohio, writes:

You wrote that cold viruses cannot live long outside of the body. (January 24, 2016) Virus particles are considered non-living. They are not cells as they have no organized nucleus, nor are they organelles, and they do not exhibit a metabolic process.

Marilyn responds:

Actually, I wrote, “Although cold viruses can survive for a while after a sneeze or a cough, they do not live independently in the air, either indoors or outdoors.” I meant “survive” in the sense of retaining their potential to cause infection. I’m sorry my words weren’t more clear.