Assessment of bio-contaminants during COVID-19 outbreak from the indoor environment of Hail city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Biocontaminants are minute particles derived from different biological materials. Indoor biocontaminants are associated with major public health problems. In Gulf countries, it is more precarious due to the harsh climatic conditions, including high ambient temperatures and relative humidity. In addition, due to COVID-19 pandemic, most of the time public is inside their home. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine the load of biocontaminants in the indoor environment of Hail city. The results showed that most of the bacteria are gram-positive and higher in polymicrobial (87.1%) than monomicrobial (62.7%) association. There was no significant association with sample collection time and types of isolates. The most abundant microbes found in all samples were Staphylococcus aureus followed by Bacillus spp. Among Gram-negative bacterial isolates, E. coli was most common in tested indoor air samples. The study will be useful to find the biocontaminants associated with risk factors and their impact on human health in the indoor environment, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. These results indicate the need to implement health care awareness programs in the region to improve indoor air quality.

Outdoor Assessment of Airborne Microorganisms During the COVID-19 Outbreak in Madinah City, KSA

“…Some air contaminants may be two to five times higher indoors than outdoors during the epidemic. 41,42,50,51 Other researchers have investigated the levels of primary chemical contaminants in the atmosphere in numerous cities. 47,52,53 However, based on the current body of information, there is no studies have been conducted to highlight the outdoor microbial load during the pandemic.…”

Airborne Microbial Quality Assessment in the Educational Buildings during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…This is because there are activity restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, students spend around 90% of their daily time in closed places, especially at home [2]. So, there is not much outdoor air exchange in the room, as reported at the Muhammadiyah University of East Kalimantan, Indonesia [46] and the student dormitory of Jimma University [47].…”

“…According to the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), indoor air is the air within a building occupied for at least one hour by people with various health conditions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, most people are indoors approximately 90% of the time [2]. This causes the exposure to indoor air pollutants to be 2-5 times or even 100 times greater than that of outdoor air.…”