Air and environmental sampling for SARS-CoV-2 around hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

ABSTRACT:

Background

The role of severe respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-laden aerosols in the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains uncertain. Discordant findings of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in air samples were noted in early reports.

Methods

Sampling of air close to 6 asymptomatic and symptomatic COVID-19 patients with and without surgical masks was performed with sampling devices using sterile gelatin filters. Frequently touched environmental surfaces near 21 patients were swabbed before daily environmental disinfection. The correlation between the viral loads of patients' clinical samples and environmental samples was analyzed.

Results

All air samples were negative for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the 6 patients singly isolated inside airborne infection isolati

SUBMITTER: Cheng VC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7327164 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature