March 25, 2021

Risk for Fomite-Mediated Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Child Daycares, Schools, Nursing Homes, and Offices

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions

Keywords (Tags): modeling, transmission

• A transmission model suggests that hourly cleaning and disinfection alone could interrupt fomite transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in some office settings, but would not be sufficient for child daycares and schools and should be combined with measures to reduce viral shedding such as mask wearing. Model estimates show that sustained transmission may be possible based on frequency of fomite touching and fraction of surfaces susceptible to contamination, with R0 being as high as 25 in high-risk settings such as child daycares. Handwashing interventions had minimal impact on model results.

Kraay et al. (Apr 2021). Risk for Fomite-Mediated Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Child Daycares, Schools, Nursing Homes, and Offices. Emerging Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2704.203631