Environmental contamination by SARS-CoV-2 in a designated hospital for coronavirus disease 2019

Wu, Songjie; Wang, Ying; Jin, Xuelan; Tian, Jia; Liu, Jianzhong; Mao, Yiping

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is characterized by risk of nosocomial transmission; however, the extent of environmental contamination and its potential contribution of environmental contamination to SARS-CoV-2 transmission are poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate whether environmental contamination may play a role in SARS-CoV-2 transmission. METHODS: Air samples were collected by natural precipitation, and environmental surface samples were collected by conventional surface swabbing. SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection was performed using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Viral RNA was not detected in the 44 air samples. The positive rates in 200 environmental surface samples in medical areas (24.83%) was higher than that in living quarters (3.64%), with a significant difference (P<0.05). The positive rates were 25.00% and 37.50% for the general isolation ward and ICU, respectively, and no significant difference was observed between them (P=0.238). The top five sampling sites with a positive rate in medical areas were beepers (50.00%), water machine buttons (50.00%), elevator buttons (42.86%), computer mouses (40.00%), and telephones (40.00%). CONCLUSIONS: Most of the touchable surfaces in the designated hospital for COVID-19 were heavily contaminated, suggesting that the environment is a potential medium of disease transmission. These results emphasize the need for strict environmental surface hygiene practices and enhanced hand hygiene to prevent the spread of the virus.