Air and surface contamination by SARS-CoV-2 virus in a tertiary hospital in Wuhan, China.
Int J Infect Dis
; 99: 3-7, 2020 Oct.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-676775
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Few studies have explored air and surface contamination by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in healthcare settings.METHODS:
Air and surface samples were collected from the isolation wards and intensive care units designated for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Clinical data and the results of nasopharyngeal specimen and serum antibody testing were also collected for the patient sample.RESULTS:
A total of 367 air and surface swab samples were collected from the patient care areas of 15 patients with mild COVID-19 and nine patients with severe/critical COVID-19. Only one air sample taken during the intubation procedure tested positive. High-touch surfaces were slightly more likely to be contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 RNA than low-touch surfaces. Contamination rates were slightly higher near severe/critical patients than near mild patients, although this difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Surface contamination was still found near the patients with both positive IgG and IgM.CONCLUSIONS:
Air and surface contamination with viral RNA was relatively low in these healthcare settings after the enhancement of infection prevention and control. Environmental contamination could still be found near seroconverted patients, suggesting the need to maintain constant vigilance in healthcare settings to reduce healthcare-associated infection during the COVID-19 pandemic.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pneumonia, Viral
/
Coronavirus Infections
/
Air Microbiology
/
Fomites
/
Tertiary Care Centers
/
Betacoronavirus
Type of study:
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
English
Journal:
Int J Infect Dis
Journal subject:
Communicable Diseases
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
J.ijid.2020.07.027
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