March 5, 2020

Air, Surface Environmental, and Personal Protective Equipment Contamination by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) From a Symptomatic Patient

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Clinical Characteristics and Health Care Setting

• An environmental hygiene study was conducted at a COVID-19 outbreak center in Singapore. Samples included surface samples taken at 26 sites, air samples, and PPE samples from physicians leaving patient rooms. Authors also describe sampling results post-cleaning. Overall, contamination via respiratory droplets and fecal shedding were a primary concern with findings emphasizing the importance of proper infection control and hygiene practices.  

Xiang et al. (Mar 4, 2020). Air, Surface Environmental, and Personal Protective Equipment Contamination by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) From a Symptomatic Patient. JAMA. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2762692