A longitudinal environmental surveillance study for SARS-CoV-2 from the emergency department of a teaching hospital in Hong Kong

Yung, Louise; Leung, Ling Yan; Lee, Kwok Hung; Morrell, Steven; Fong, Min Whui; Fung, Nicholas; Cheng, Kit Ling; Kaewpreedee, Prathanporn; Li, Yuguo; Cowling, Benjamin J.; Lau, Eric H. Y.; Hui, David; Graham, Colin A.; Yen, Hui‐Ling

doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2023.05.020

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 48 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Our results show a higher viral positivity rate (5.4%) than that reported by other authors [3,36], perhaps because this study was conducted over a longer period (seven months) and included particularly crowded events (e.g., graduation sessions) without the imposition of restrictive measures. According to some authors [37], crowding may be a risk factor for the detection of SARS-CoV-2, so more control and prevention measures, including better ventilation and symptom screening, may reduce viral transmission in various settings [38].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Safe Return of Face-to-Face Teaching in the Post-COVID-19 Era at a University in Southern Italy: Surface Monitoring as an Early Warning System

De Giglio,

Triggiano,

Apollonio

et al. 2023

Applied Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Environmental monitoring for SARS-CoV-2 has become a useful adjunct to clinical testing because it is widely available and relatively inexpensive. During the period May–December 2022 (spring–summer: May–September–autumn: October–December), we assessed the presence and viability of the virus on surfaces in university settings in the Apulia region (Southern Italy) after the resumption of face-to-face teaching activities and evaluated surface monitoring as an early warning system. The sampling plan provided for the selection of 75% of the surface types (e.g., student and teacher desks, computer, handrail) in different materials (plasticized wood, wood, metal, plastic) present in different environments. Overall, 5.4% of surfaces (all students’ desks) resulted in positive with RT-PCR and negative with viral culture. Greater contamination was found in the spring–summer period than in the autumn (χ2 test with Yates correction = 7.6003; p-value = 0.006). The Poisson regression model showed a direct association between the average number of COVID-19 cases among university students in the seven days following sampling and the percentage of SARS-CoV-2 positive swabs on sampling day and (Intercept = 5.32498; β = 0.01847; p < 0.001). Our results show that environmental monitoring for SARS-CoV-2, especially in crowded settings such as universities, could be a useful tool for early warning, even after the end of the COVID-19 emergency.

show abstract