February 25, 2021

SARS-CoV-2 Detection and Genomic Sequencing from Hospital Surface Samples Collected at UC Davis

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Transmission

Keywords (Tags): transmission

[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Environmental samples (n=224) collected from COVID-19 patient serving and staff congregation areas in a university hospital in California between April and August 2020 identified 11 samples positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, with a smaller proportion of positive samples (2% vs 11%) detected over time as improved cleaning and patient management practices were implemented.  None of the samples were capable of infectivity based on cell culture. Genomic sequencing of positive samples showed that some had near-complete genome sequences which suggest that RNA in the samples were either not associated with intact virions, or they were present in insufficient numbers for infectivity. 

Coil et al. (Feb 24, 2021). SARS-CoV-2 Detection and Genomic Sequencing from Hospital Surface Samples Collected at UC Davis. Pre-print downloaded Feb 25 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.02.23.21252022