Abstract
There is limited information concerning the viral load of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in aerosols deposited on environmental surfaces and the effectiveness of infection prevention and control procedures on eliminating SARS-CoV-2 contamination in hospital settings. We examined the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 in aerosol samples and on environmental surfaces in a hospital designated for treating severe COVID-19 patients. Aerosol samples were collected by a microbial air sampler, and environmental surfaces were sampled using sterile premoistened swabs at multiple sites. Ninety surface swabs and 135 aerosol samples were collected. Only two swabs, sampled from the inside of a patient's mask, were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. All other swabs and aerosol samples were negative for the virus. Our study indicated that strict implementation of infection prevention and control procedures was highly effective in eliminating aerosol and environmental borne SARS-CoV-2 RNA thereby reducing the risk of cross-infection in hospitals.
Highlights
Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) at the end of 2019 in Wuhan, China, this severe infection has spread rapidly around the world [1, 2], and was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020 [3]
A recent study demonstrated that viable SARS-CoV-2 could be detected in laboratory-generated aerosols up to 3 h post aerosolisation, and the viable virus was detectable up to 4 h on copper, 24 h on cardboard and 2–3 days on plastic and stainless steel [15]
More evidence is needed to verify whether airborne transmission of, and environmental surface contamination with, this virus does occur in a hospital setting, as it could pose a serious threat to the safety of health care workers (HCWs)
Summary
Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) at the end of 2019 in Wuhan, China, this severe infection has spread rapidly around the world [1, 2], and was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020 [3]. There is limited information on the viral load in aerosols and on environmental surfaces, and the effectiveness of routine nosocomial infection prevention and control procedures on eliminating SARS-CoV-2 contamination in hospitals designated to treat COVID-19 patients due to technical difficulties in collecting viral-laden aerosols and quantifying the virus at low concentrations. It follows that if SARS-CoV-2 is able to survive in aerosols in hospital units treating COVID-19 patients, we may need to revise the current hospital infection prevention and control practices and personal protection strategies
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