Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

August 14, 2020

Risk of Fomite-Mediated Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Child Daycares Schools and Offices a Modeling Study

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  • [preprint, not peer-reviewed] Kraay et al. used a transmission modeling approach to simulate fomite transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (via contaminated surfaces) under a variety of settings, surface types and cleaning frequencies. Unknown parameter values were derived from other pathogens with similar properties to SARS-CoV-2. Fomite R0 ranged from 2 in low risk venues (offices) to 20 in high-risk settings (daycares) and was higher than that of both influenza and rhinovirus. The model indicates that hourly cleaning and disinfection alone could bring the fomite R0 below 1 in some office settings, but not in daycares or schools. Cloth and other porous surfaces were unlikely to sustain transmission, suggesting cleaning and disinfection focus on non-porous surfaces.  

Kraay et al. (Aug 13, 2020). Risk of Fomite-Mediated Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Child Daycares Schools and Offices a Modeling Study. Preprint downloaded August 14 from  https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.08.10.20171629