ABSTRACT
Nowadays, there is an important controversy about coronavirus air transmission. The aim of this study was to determine aerosol transmission from patients with coronavirus infection using "COVID-19 traps" that included different untouched surfaces within them. 42 swab samples of 6 different surfaces placed in the rooms of 6 patients with a positive diagnostic of COVID-19 were analyzed with RT-PCR technique to evaluate the presence of the virus and its stability. Samples were collected at 24, 48 and 72â¯h. Patients were in an intensive care unit (ICU) and in a COVID-19 ward unit (CWU) at a Spanish referral hospital. None of the samples placed in the ICU unit were positive for COVID-19. However, two surfaces, placed in a CWU room with a patient that required the use of respiratory assistance were positive for coronavirus at 72â¯h. Surfaces could not be touched by patients or health workers, so viral spreading was unequivocally produced by air transmission. Thus, fomites should be considered as a possible mode of transmission of coronavirus and frequent disinfection of surfaces should be taken into account. Our results, although preliminary, point the importance of SARS-CoV-2 virus air transmission indoors and may shed some light in this debate.
