Detection rate of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in relation to isolation time and environmental surface type

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) causes environmental contamination via respiratory droplets and persists on contaminants and environmental surfaces for anywhere from a few hours to 6 days. Therefore, it is particularly important to understand the transmission and containment of SARS-CoV-2 on the surface of objects within isolated environments. In this study, 356 environmental surface samples were collected and 79 tested positive, with the highest contamination rate (56.96%) in the wood category (bedside tables, wood floors, and walls). This study revealed differences in the detection rates of environmental surfaces in hospitalized and discharged rooms of patients with confirmed COVID-19 in 2 isolated settings (A: p = 0.001; B: p = 0.505) and suggested that environmental contamination may be an important route of virus transmission, providing a reference to guide the enhancement of ventilation, the use of hotel isolation model, the advocacy of cotton masks, and the effective suppression of virus transmission.

Monitoring Prevalence and Persistence of Environmental Contamination by SARS-CoV-2 RNA in a Makeshift Hospital for Asymptomatic and Very Mild COVID-19 Patients

“…It is suspected that contaminated surfaces or fomites also have a role in transmission [ 40 – 43 ]. Fomites, inanimate objects capable of absorbing, harboring, and transmitting infectious agents, have been implicated as possible sources of transmission [ 44 – 46 ]. According to biosafety regulations and the limited resources of the makeshift hospital, virus culturing was not performed to isolate live SARS-CoV-2 from any of our collected samples in this study.…”