Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/146218
Title: Environmental contamination of SARS-CoV-2 in a non-healthcare setting
Authors: Wong, Judith Chui Ching
Hapuarachchi, Hapuarachchige Chanditha
Arivalan, Sathish
Tien, Wei Ping
Koo, Carmen
Mailepessov, Diyar
Kong, Marcella
Mohammad Nazeem
Lim, Merrill
Ng, Lee Ching
Keywords: Science::Biological sciences
Issue Date: 2020
Source: Wong, J. C. C., Hapuarachchi, H. C., Arivalan, S., Tien, W. P., Koo, C., Mailepessov, D., . . . Ng, L. C. (2021). Environmental contamination of SARS-Cov-2 in a non-healthcare setting. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(1), 117-. doi:10.3390/ijerph18010117
Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 
Abstract: Fomite-mediated transmission has been identified as a possible route for the spread of COVID-19 disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. In healthcare settings, environmental contamination by SARS-CoV-2 has been found in patients' rooms and toilets. Here, we investigated environmental presence of SARS-CoV-2 in non-healthcare settings and assessed the efficacy of cleaning and disinfection in removing virus contamination. A total of 428 environmental swabs and six air samples was taken from accommodation rooms, toilets and elevators that have been used by COVID-19 cases. By using a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay, we detected two SARS-CoV-2 RNA positive samples in a room where a COVID-19 patient stayed prior to diagnosis. The present study highlights the risk of fomite-mediated transmission in non-healthcare settings and the importance of surface disinfection in spaces occupied by cases. Of note, neither air-borne transmission nor surface contamination of elevators, which were transiently exposed to infected individuals, was evident among samples analyzed.
URI: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/146218
ISSN: 1660-4601
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18010117
Schools: School of Biological Sciences 
Rights: © 2020 The Authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Fulltext Permission: open
Fulltext Availability: With Fulltext
Appears in Collections:SBS Journal Articles

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