Aerosol transmission, an indispensable route of COVID-19 spread: case study of a department-store cluster

Jiang, Guanyu; Wang, Can; Song, Lu; Wang, Xing; Zhou, Yang-Yang; Fei, Chunnan; Li, He

doi:10.1007/s11783-021-1386-6

Cited by 40 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Since the app did not collect the data regarding the other behaviors, we were not able to adjust for them. However, there is growing evidence that COVID-19 may spread through aerosols [42][43][44] . Since hand washing does not effectively prevent aerosol transmission while the face mask use does 45 , it is less likely that our findings were confounded by hand washing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association of social distancing and face mask use with risk of COVID-19

et al. 2021

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Given the continued burden of COVID-19 worldwide, there is a high unmet need for data on the effect of social distancing and face mask use to mitigate the risk of COVID-19. We examined the association of community-level social distancing measures and individual face mask use with risk of predicted COVID-19 in a large prospective U.S. cohort study of 198,077 participants. Individuals living in communities with the greatest social distancing had a 31% lower risk of predicted COVID-19 compared with those living in communities with poor social distancing. Self-reported ‘always’ use of face mask was associated with a 62% reduced risk of predicted COVID-19 even among individuals living in a community with poor social distancing. These findings provide support for the efficacy of mask-wearing even in settings of poor social distancing in reducing COVID-19 transmission. Despite mass vaccination campaigns in many parts of the world, continued efforts at social distancing and face mask use remain critically important in reducing the spread of COVID-19.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association of social distancing and face mask use with risk of COVID-19

et al. 2021

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“…It has been confirmed that the main transmission routes of COVID-19 are via respiratory droplets and close contact ( Chen et al, 2020 ). In our previous study of the Baodi department store ( Jiang et al, 2020 ) and many other reports ( Domingo et al, 2020 ; Lane et al, 2021 ; Noorimotlagh et al, 2021 ), the aerosol transmission of COVID-19 was strongly supported. At the same time, evidence of indirect transmission via environmental contamination was also reported ( Abrahao et al, 2021 ; Cai et al, 2020 ; Marques and Domingo, 2021 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

“…1 ). According to our previous epidemiology investigation ( Jiang et al, 2020 ), COVID-19 patients mainly appeared on the department store's first floor. Fifty samples were collected from environmental surfaces of three floors and toilets outside the main building, based on the track of patients ( Fig.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Investigating SARS-CoV-2 persistent contamination in different indoor environments

Fei

Chen

et al. 2021

Environmental Research

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Environmental contamination caused by COVID-19 patients could be a medium of transmission. Previous reports of SARS-CoV-2 in environmental surfaces were about short-term contamination. This study investigated SARS-CoV-2 RNA existence in room-temperature and low-temperature environments long after exposure (>28 days). A department store, where a COVID-19 outbreak was occurred in January 2020 (the epicenter of 43 COVID-19 patients), and a patient's apartment were included as room-temperature environments after being blocked for 57 days and 48 days, respectively. Seven cold storages and imported frozen foods inside were included as low-temperature environments (under −18 °C). Twenty food markets with potential contamination of imported frozen foods were also included to study the consecutive contamination. Information about temperature, relative humidity, and the number of days of environmental samples since the last exposure was collected and analyzed. In sum, 11,808 swab samples were collected before disinfection, of which 35 samples were positive. Persistent contamination of SARS-CoV-2 RNA was identified in the apartment (6/19), the department store (3/50), food packages in cold storages (23/1360), environmental surfaces of cold storages (2/345), and a package in the food market (1/10,034). Two positive samples were isolated from the bathroom of the apartment (66.7 %, 2/3), and doorknobs were proved with contamination in the apartment (40 %, 2/5) and cold storage (33.3 %, 1/3). The epidemiology information and environmental contamination results of an imported frozen food related COVID-19 case (138th COVID-19 patient in Tianjin) were analyzed. Based on the Ct values, the number of copies of two target genes was calculated by standard curves and linear regressions. In conclusion, SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be detected in room-temperature environments at least 57 days after the last exposure, much longer than previous reports. Based on the results of this study and previous studies, infectious SARS-CoV-2 could exist for at least 60 days on the surface of cold-chain food packages. Doorknobs and toilets (bathrooms) were important positions in COVID-19 control. High-risk populations of cold-chain-related logistic operations, such as porters, require strict prevention and high-level personal protection.

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“…Droplets larger than 5-10µ are called respiratory droplets and those with less than 5µ are referred to as droplet nuclei. Particles larger than 5µ in diameter -remaining only shortly in the air (<17 minutes) and dispersing over short distances (<1 m) -are held in place by centrifugal force in the upper respiratory tract (nasal cavity), while particles smaller than 5µ -Aerosols, droplet nuclei (<5 mm) remaining in the air for an almost infinite amount of time and dispersing over long distances (>1 m) -are deposited in the alveoli of the lungs, which is of great importance in lung infection (22,23). Droplets from coughing, sneezing, and talking do not stay suspended in the air and move less than 1 meter before settling on the mucous membranes of nearby contacts or environmental surfaces.…”

Section: Airborne Transmissionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transmission Routes of COVID-19 Through Air, Water and Wastewater: A Systematic Review

Jaafarzadeh

Jorfi

Ghaedrahmat

et al. 2020

Avicenna J Environ Health Eng

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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In this systematic review, five databases were searched (Scopus, PubMed-/Medline, Cochrane library, Embase, and Web of Science) for publications between 2019 to 12 February 2021. From 575 articles identified, seven papers were selected for inclusion. In the present paper, corona transmission routes from three environments of water, wastewater and air were considered. The most important transmission route of COVID-19 is through the air, which takes place from the following two routes: respiration and contact. Respiratory drops are caused by coughing and sneezing. Anyone who comes in close contact with someone having COVID-19 symptoms (sneezing, coughing, etc.) is potentially at risk for droplets. In this paper, corona transmission pathways from water, wastewater, and air in three environments were investigated. The results showed that the virus is transmitted through the air and its transmission through water and wastewater has not been proven. While the virus may survive in drinking water, there is no evidence that human coronavirus is present in surface and groundwater sources, or transmitted through contaminated drinking water. There is also no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 transmission through the sewage system, with or without wastewater treatment. Detection of this virus is very effective in determining the necessary and timely strategies to prevent further transmission of virus, and help to break the chain of COVID-19 transmission through water and wastewater.

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Aerosol transmission, an indispensable route of COVID-19 spread: case study of a department-store cluster

Cited by 40 publications

References 37 publications

Association of social distancing and face mask use with risk of COVID-19

Association of social distancing and face mask use with risk of COVID-19

Investigating SARS-CoV-2 persistent contamination in different indoor environments

Transmission Routes of COVID-19 Through Air, Water and Wastewater: A Systematic Review

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