Surface Inactivation of Highly Mutated SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern: Alpha, Delta, and Omicron

Abstract

Continued SARS-CoV-2 transmission among the human population has meant the evolution of the virus to produce variants of increased infectiousness and virulence, coined variants of concern (VOCs). The last wave of pandemic infections was driven predominantly by the delta VOC, but because of continued transmission and adaptive mutations, the more highly transmissible omicron variant emerged and is now dominant. However, due to waning immunity and emergence of new variants, vaccines alone cannot control the pandemic. The application of an antiviral coating to high-touch surfaces and physical barriers such as masks are an effective means to inactivate the virus and their spread. Here, we demonstrate an environmentally friendly water-borne polymer coating that can completely inactivate SARS-CoV-2 independent of the infectious variant. The polymer was designed to target the highly glycosylated spike protein on the virion surface and inactivate the virion by disruption of the viral membrane through a nano-mechanical process. Our findings show that, even with low amounts of coating on the surface (1 g/m 2 ), inactivation of alpha, delta, and omicron VOCs and degradation of their viral genome were complete. Furthermore, our data shows that the polymer induces little to no skin sensitization in mice and is non-toxic upon oral ingestion in rats. We anticipate that our transparent polymer coating can be applied to face masks and many other surfaces to capture and inactivate the virus, aiding in the reduction of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and evolution of new variants of concern.

Implication of nanotechnology to reduce the environmental risks of waste associated with the COVID-19 pandemic

“…87 Recently, polymeric coatings have been investigated to combat COVID 19. In this regard, Bobrin et al 88 designed an environmentally friendly polymeric water-borne nanoworms coating that can completely inactivate the highly mutated variants of SARS-CoV of concern: Alpha, Delta and Omicron, independent of the infectious variant (Fig. 10).…”