1. Air and Environmental Contamination Caused by COVID-19 Patients: a Multi-Center Study.
- Author
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Kim UJ, Lee SY, Lee JY, Lee A, Kim SE, Choi OJ, Lee JS, Kee SJ, and Jang HC
- Subjects
- Adult, Aerosols, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Air, Betacoronavirus, COVID-19, China, Disinfection, Female, Hospitals, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Pandemics, Patients' Rooms, SARS-CoV-2, Time Factors, Young Adult, Air Microbiology, Coronavirus Infections transmission, Environmental Exposure, Equipment Contamination, Pneumonia, Viral transmission
- Abstract
Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of air and surface contamination of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in four health care facilities with hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients., Methods: We investigated air and environmental contamination in the rooms of eight COVID-19 patients in four hospitals. Some patients were in negative-pressure rooms, and others were not. None had undergone aerosol-generating procedures. On days 0, 3, 5, and 7 of hospitalization, the surfaces in the rooms and anterooms were swabbed, and air samples were collected 2 m from the patient and from the anterooms., Results: All 52 air samples were negative for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Widespread surface contamination of SARS-CoV-2 RNA was observed. In total, 89 of 320 (27%) environmental surface samples were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Surface contamination of SARS-CoV-2 RNA was common in rooms without surface disinfection and in rooms sprayed with disinfectant twice a day. However, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was not detected in a room cleaned with disinfectant wipes on a regular basis., Conclusion: Our data suggest that remote (> 2 m) airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from hospitalized COVID-19 patients is uncommon when aerosol-generating procedures have not been performed. Surface contamination was widespread, except in a room routinely cleaned with disinfectant wipes., Competing Interests: The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose., (© 2020 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.)
- Published
- 2020
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