Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

June 30, 2020

Sentinel Coronavirus Environmental Monitoring Can Contribute to Detecting Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Virus Spreaders and Can Verify Effectiveness of Workplace COVID-19 Controls

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  • [pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Workplace screening of asymptomatic employees in Europe and the US identified otherwise undetected cases in the workplace. Environmental testing showed that locations with SARS-CoV-2 contaminated surfaces were 10 times more likely to have employees who were RT-PCR positive than locations with no or very few positive surfaces. 
  • Nine workplace locations in Europe and the United States participated in a two-week environmental monitoring program for the detection SARS-CoV-2. During this period employees were tested for SARS-CoV-2 alongside testing of high-frequency-touch point environmental surfaces. Three locations had one or more employees test positive for SARS-CoV-2, none of whom were symptomatic at the time of testing. Break room chairs, workbenches, and door handles were the most frequently contaminated surfaces. 

Marshall et al. (June 29, 2020). Sentinel Coronavirus Environmental Monitoring Can Contribute to Detecting Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Virus Spreaders and Can Verify Effectiveness of Workplace COVID-19 Controls. Pre-print downloaded June 30 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.24.20131185