The rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 in the COVID-19 pandemic had raised questions on the route of transmission of this disease. Initial understanding was that transmission originated from respiratory droplets from an infected host to a susceptible host. However, indirect contact transmission of viable virus by fomites and through aerosols has also been suggested. Herein, we report the involvement of fine indoor air particulates with a diameter of ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5) as the virus’s transport agent. PM2.5 was collected over four weeks during 48-h measurement intervals in four separate hospital wards containing different infected clusters in a teaching hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Our results indicated the highest SARS-CoV-2 RNA on PM2.5 in the ward with number of occupants. We suggest a link between the virus-laden PM2.5 and the ward’s design. Patients’ symptoms and numbers influence the number of airborne SARS-CoV-2 RNA with PM2.5 in an enclosed environment.

Objectives: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotyping is important for treatment and epidemiological purposes. The objective was to determine HCV genotype and their associations with certain risk factors at University Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC). Methods: A total of 89 samples were collected from December 2009 to January 2011. Demographic data of patients were collected from medical record. Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) was performed and sixty-four samples yielded positive for HCV. Sequencing was performed and analyzed based on sequence information in GenBank. Statistical analysis were done using SPSS version 15. Results: HCV genotype 3 (73%) was the most frequent genotype, followed by genotype 1(27%). The distribution of HCV genotype/ subtype was as follows: 3a (64.8%), 1a (13.5%), 1 (10.8%), 3 (8.1%) and 1b (2.7%). Conclusions: HCV subtypes 3a, 1a, and 1b were identified in patients at UKMMC, Malaysia with subtype 3a being the most prevalent. No significant association was found between HCV genotypes and patients’ demographic data.

Based on available evidence, the COVID-19 virus is thought to spread through close contact and droplet transmission. However, some have debated that it could be airborne. Airborne transmission occurs when particles of less than 0.5 μm within droplets spread through exhaled air via a process called aerosolisation. These particles can remain in the air for long periods and can disseminate over distances further than 1 meter. In the context of COVID-19, airborne particles can occur during certain aerosolised-generating-procedures (AGP). WHO underlines the use of N95 respirators or equivalent as part of personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers (HCW) managing COVID-19 positive patients when aerosolised-generating-procedures (AGP) are being conducted. This retrospective observational study describes the result of COVID-19 reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in health care workers (HCW) wearing different form of personal protective equipment (PPE) who had had close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 patient during performing such procedures. All HCWs were quarantined for 14 days after the exposure. COVID-19 RT-PCR nasopharyngeal swabs were performed at different intervals. Little is known about the effectiveness of different types of personal protective equipment (PPE) for preventing SARS-CoV-2 in HCWs. We describe the clinical outcome of HCWs exposed to sudden acute respiratory infection patient before the diagnosis of COVID-19 was known.

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HCV genotyping with AmpliSens(®) HCV-1/2/3-FRT using real-time PCR method provides a much simpler and more feasible workflow with shorter time compared to sequencing method. There was good concordance compared to sequencing method. However, more evaluation studies would be required to show statistical significance, and to troubleshoot discordant results. AmpliSens(®) HCV-1/2/3-FRT does differentiate between genotype but not until subtype level.