SARS-CoV-2 surface and air contamination in an acute healthcare setting during the first and second pandemic waves

Otter, Jonathan A.; Zhou, Jie; Price, James R.; Reeves, Lucy; Zhu, Nina; Randell, Paul; Sriskandan, Shiranee; Barclay, Wendy S.; Holmes, Alison

doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2022.11.005

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…In addition, various infection control measures implemented to triage or pre-screen patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection risk before entering hospitals may have also contributed to the low detection frequency at the ED. Otter et al have suggested enhanced infection prevention measures have reduced environmental contamination detected in hospitals from first to second epidemic wave of COVID-19 in UK ( 53 ). Strict infection control measures imposed in other hospitals have also been found associated with low levels of contamination and contained outbreak clusters ( 23 , 54 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Yung¹,

Leung²,

Lee³

et al. 2023

Journal of Hospital Infection

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Yung¹,

Leung²,

Lee³

et al. 2023

Journal of Hospital Infection

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“…Environmental surfaces pose an infection risk of contamination with a high viral load of SARS-CoV-2, especially in indoor environments with insufficient ventilation and inadequate filtration. It is important to highlight here that SARS-CoV-2 has many potential environmental contamination pathways, some of them have been established, and many others are yet to be confirmed [20][21][22].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Yang,

Sun,

Xia

et al. 2023

Int J Public Health

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Objective: To investigate the details of environmental contamination status by SARS-CoV-2 in a makeshift COVID-19 hospital.Methods: Environmental samples were collected from a makeshift hospital. The extent of contamination was assessed by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) for SARS-CoV-2 RNA from various samples.Results: There was a wide range of total collected samples contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 RNA, ranging from 8.47% to 100%. Results revealed that 70.00% of sewage from the bathroom and 48.19% of air samples were positive. The highest rate of contamination was found from the no-touch surfaces (73.07%) and the lowest from frequently touched surfaces (33.40%). The most contaminated objects were the top surfaces of patient cubic partitions (100%). The median Ct values among strongly positive samples were 33.38 (IQR, 31.69–35.07) and 33.24 (IQR, 31.33–34.34) for ORF1ab and N genes, respectively. SARS-CoV-2 relic RNA can be detected on indoor surfaces for up to 20 days.Conclusion: The findings show a higher prevalence and persistence in detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the makeshift COVID-19 hospital setting. The contamination mode of droplet deposition may be more common than contaminated touches.

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“…SARS-CoV-2 has been shown to degrade in the air [7,58,60]. So while SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be recovered in large quantities from room air [47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56], it is likely that most of this genetic material is incapable of causing an infection; something confirmed by Birgand et al [54] who found that only 9% of viral cultures were viable.…”

Section: Infection Riskmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Given the large numbers of respiratory aerosols generated within occupied spaces, it is perhaps unsurprising that during the pandemic, numerous studies have recovered SARS-CoV-2 RNA from the air in hospitals [47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56]. Indeed, a comprehensive systematic review by Birgand et al [54] concluded that air, both close to and distant from patients with COVID-19, is frequently contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 RNA, with 17.4% of air samples taken close to patients and 33.3% from public areas testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA.…”

Section: Airborne Transmissionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2: The Contrast between Indoors and Outdoors

Beggs,

Abid,

Motallebi

et al. 2024

Fluids

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COVID-19 is an airborne disease, with the vast majority of infections occurring indoors. In comparison, little transmission occurs outdoors. Here, we investigate the airborne transmission pathways that differentiate the indoors from outdoors and conclude that profound differences exist, which help to explain why SARS-CoV-2 transmission is much more prevalent indoors. Near- and far-field transmission pathways are discussed along with factors that affect infection risk, with aerosol concentration, air entrainment, thermal plumes, and occupancy duration all identified as being influential. In particular, we present the fundamental equations that underpin the Wells–Riley model and show the mathematical relationship between inhaled virus particles and quanta of infection. A simple model is also presented for assessing infection risk in spaces with incomplete air mixing. Transmission risk is assessed in terms of aerosol concentration using simple 1D equations, followed by a description of thermal plume–ceiling interactions. With respect to this, we present new experimental results using Schlieren visualisation and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) based on the Eulerian–Lagrangian approach. Pathways of airborne infection are discussed, with the key differences identified between indoors and outdoors. In particular, the contribution of thermal and exhalation plumes is evaluated, and the presence of a near-field/far-field feedback loop is postulated, which is absent outdoors.

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SARS-CoV-2 surface and air contamination in an acute healthcare setting during the first and second pandemic waves

Cited by 9 publications

References 26 publications

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

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

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

Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2: The Contrast between Indoors and Outdoors

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