SARS-CoV-2 decontamination of skin with disinfectants active during and after application

Abstract

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has resulted in high levels of exposure of medical workers to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Hand decontamination is one of the actions recommended to reduce the risk of infection.AimTwo disinfectants – BIAKŌS antimicrobial skin and wound cleanser (AWC) and AWC2 (Sanara MedTech, Fort Worth, TX, USA) – were tested to determine whether they can inactivate SARS-CoV-2 upon contact or as a coating applied before contact with the virus.MethodsThe ability of AWC and AWC2 to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 was tested in liquid and dried form on plastic surfaces and porcine skin.FindingsAWC and AWC2 were effective in reducing the infectious titre of SARS-CoV-2 in liquid form during application and in dried form 4 h after application. Virus on skin was reduced up to 2 log10-fold and 3.5 log10-fold after treatment with AWC and AWC2, respectively.ConclusionApplication of AWC and AWC2 to skin reduces the level of SARS-CoV-2 and the risk of infection.