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. 2020 May 29;11(1):2800.
doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-16670-2.

Detection of air and surface contamination by SARS-CoV-2 in hospital rooms of infected patients

Po Ying Chia #  1   2   3 , Kristen Kelli Coleman #  4 , Yian Kim Tan #  5 , Sean Wei Xiang Ong #  1   2 , Marcus Gum  5 , Sok Kiang Lau  5 , Xiao Fang Lim  5 , Ai Sim Lim  5 , Stephanie Sutjipto  1   2 , Pei Hua Lee  1   2 , Than The Son  4 , Barnaby Edward Young  1   2   3 , Donald K Milton  6 , Gregory C Gray  4   7   8 , Stephan Schuster  9 , Timothy Barkham  2   10 , Partha Pratim De  2   3 , Shawn Vasoo  1   2   3 , Monica Chan  1   2 , Brenda Sze Peng Ang  1   2   3   10 , Boon Huan Tan  5 , Yee-Sin Leo  1   2   3   10 , Oon-Tek Ng  11   12   13 , Michelle Su Yen Wong  5 , Kalisvar Marimuthu  14   15   16 ; Singapore 2019 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak Research Team
Collaborators, Affiliations

Detection of air and surface contamination by SARS-CoV-2 in hospital rooms of infected patients

Po Ying Chia et al. Nat Commun. .

Abstract

Understanding the particle size distribution in the air and patterns of environmental contamination of SARS-CoV-2 is essential for infection prevention policies. Here we screen surface and air samples from hospital rooms of COVID-19 patients for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Environmental sampling is conducted in three airborne infection isolation rooms (AIIRs) in the ICU and 27 AIIRs in the general ward. 245 surface samples are collected. 56.7% of rooms have at least one environmental surface contaminated. High touch surface contamination is shown in ten (66.7%) out of 15 patients in the first week of illness, and three (20%) beyond the first week of illness (p = 0.01, χ2 test). Air sampling is performed in three of the 27 AIIRs in the general ward, and detects SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive particles of sizes >4 µm and 1-4 µm in two rooms, despite these rooms having 12 air changes per hour. This warrants further study of the airborne transmission potential of SARS-CoV-2.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no competing interests as defined by Nature Research, or other interests that might be perceived to influence the results and/or discussion reported in this paper. The funders had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Percentage of contaminated swabs from surface samples, in rooms with any contamination.
All sites were n = 17, except for air exhaust vents where n = 5.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Extent of environmental contamination correlated with day of illness timepoint.
a Percentage of patients with contamination of high-touch surfaces in the first week of illness compared with more than first week of illness, n = 15 in both groups. b Percentage of surfaces contaminated across weeks of illness with median and 95% confidence intervals. c. Percentage of high-touch surfaces contaminated across weeks of illness with median and 95% confidence intervals.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. Patient and disease factors affecting percentage of high-touch contamination.
a Mean percentage of high-touch surface contaminated by day of illness with 95% confidence interval with best fit curve, n = 30. b Percentage of high-touch surfaces contaminated by clinical cycle threshold values with 95% confidence interval with bestfit curve, n = 30. c Mean percentage of high-touch surface contaminated by day of illness with 95% confidence interval grouped by symptoms, n = 30.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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