Surfaces and equipment contamination by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the emergency department at a university hospital

Abstract

Objectives Environmental contamination by patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) through respiratory droplets suggests that surfaces and equipment could be a medium of transmission. We aimed to assess the surface and equipment contamination by SARS-COV-2 of an emergency department (ED) during the coronavirus infectious disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Methods We performed multiple samples from different sites in ED patients care and non-patient care areas with sterile premoistened swabs and used real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid (RNA). We also sampled the personal protective equipment (PPE) from health care workers (HCWs). Results Among the 192 total samples, 10 (5.2%) were positive. In patient care areas, 5/46 (10.9%) of the surfaces directly in contact with COVID-19 patients revealed the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA, and 4/56 (7.1%) of the surfaces that were not directly in contact with COVID-19 patients were positive. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was present only in the patients’ examination and monitoring rooms. Before decontamination SARS-CoV-2 RNA was present on the saturation clip, the scuff for blood pressure measurement, the stretcher, the plastic screens between patients and the floor. After decontamination, SARS-CoV-2 RNA remained on the scuff, the stretcher and the trolleys. All samples from non-patient care areas or staff working rooms were negative. Only one sample from the PPE of the HCWs was positive. Conclusions Our findings suggest that surfaces and equipment contamination by SARS-CoV-2 RNA in an ED during the COVID-19 outbreak is low and concerns exclusively patients’ examination and monitoring rooms, preserving non-patient care areas.

Study on the decay characteristics and transmission risk of respiratory viruses on the surface of objects

“…Some scholars believe that human coronaviruses and influenza viruses, including MERS, have a limited capacity to survive on dry surfaces ( Kramer et al, 2006 ; Geller et al, 2012 ; Yezli and Otter, 2011 ). The results of sampling from different places in the hospital ward and on the surfaces of objects contacted by patients showed that the number of infectious SARS-CoV-2 viruses ranged from several to dozens of copies/mL ( Ong et al, 2020 ; Razzini et al, 2020 ; Peyrony et al, 2020 ), which was much lower than the virus concentration of 10 3 -10 8 copies/mL in nasal swabs and throat swabs of infected patients ( Pan et al, 2020 ). It seems that the viruses have limited viability on the surface.…”

SARS-CoV-2 Detection Rates from Surface Samples Do Not Implicate Public Surfaces as Relevant Sources for Transmission

“…In two studies, sampling was performed prior to cleaning with 1000 ppm sodium hypochlorite [34,35], and in five studies it was done before the next scheduled surface cleaning [36][37][38][39][40]. Other investigators performed surface sampling at least four hours after the last cleaning procedure [41,42], within four to seven hours after the first daily cleaning [43], seven hours after cleaning and disinfection [44], at least eight hours after any cleaning procedure [45], before and after decontamination [46,47], or after terminal disinfection [48].…”

SARS-CoV-2 detection and genomic sequencing from hospital surface samples collected at UC Davis

“…A key complication in studies of SARS-CoV-2 environmental viability relates to how long the viral RNA can be detected on surfaces. A large number of studies have used qRT-PCR to detect SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA indoors [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] reviewed in [21] and found that the virus was detectable up to several weeks after it was presumably deposited [22]. The amount of viral RNA detected seems to be inversely correlated with cleaning protocols [23].…”