Sampling for SARS-CoV-2 Aerosols in Hospital Patient Rooms

Details

• Personal Author:
  Brownsword EA ; Ingersoll JM ; Kraft CS ; Lane MA ; Lindsley, William G. ; Miller C ; Uyeki TM ; Waggoner J ; Walawender M ; Webster AS
• Description:
  Evidence varies as to how far aerosols spread from individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 in hospital rooms. We investigated the presence of aerosols containing SARS-CoV-2 inside of dedicated COVID-19 patient rooms. Three National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health BC 251 two-stage cyclone samplers were set up in each patient room for a six-hour sampling period. Samplers were place on tripods, which each held two samplers at various heights above the floor. Extracted samples underwent reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction for selected gene regions of the SARS-CoV-2 virus nucleocapsid. Patient medical data were compared between participants in rooms where virus-containing aerosols were detected and those where they were not. Of 576 aerosols samples collected from 19 different rooms across 32 participants, 3% (19) were positive for SARS-CoV-2, the majority from near the head and foot of the bed. Seven of the positive samples were collected inside a single patient room. No significant differences in participant clinical characteristics were found between patients in rooms with positive and negative aerosol samples. SARS-CoV-2 viral aerosols were detected from the patient rooms of nine participants (28%). These findings provide reassurance that personal protective equipment that was recommended for this virus is appropriate given its spread in hospital rooms. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Air Pollutants, Occupational Communicable Diseases Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Hospitals Occupational Health Particulate Matter Personal Protective Equipment Safety Viral Diseases
• Keywords:
  Airborne Disease Airborne Particulates Author Keywords: COVID-19 COVID-19 Hospital Medical Facilities Personal Protective Equipment PPE Samplers Sampling SARS-CoV-2 Viral Aerosols Viral Diseases

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• ISSN:
  1999-4915
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Georgia ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  13
• Issue:
  12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20064224
• Citation:
  Viruses 2021 Dec; 13(12):2347
• Contact Point Address:
  Morgan A. Lane, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
• Email:
  morgan.a.lane@emory.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• NORA Priority Area:
  Healthcare and Social Assistance
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Viruses
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:96e9fd52b4d076b57d9c3e49324da677c8c1412aaaeb0963dacda7691d322b63c8f506aceea4d45351a0915232e1c8e4cdbb39e79761a473168c49850ca51515
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/222727/cdc_222727_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 511.27 KB ]