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One year weekly size-resolved air sampling of SARS-CoV-2 in hospital corridors and relations to the indoor environment

Thuresson, Sara LU ; Fraenkel, Carl Johan LU ; Sasinovich, Sviataslau LU ; Medstrand, Patrik LU orcid ; Alsved, Malin LU orcid and Löndahl, Jakob LU orcid (2024) In Indoor Air 2024.
Abstract

Background. Airborne SARS-CoV-2 plays a prominent role in COVID-19 transmission. Numerous studies have sampled air from patient rooms, but airborne spread to other hospital areas such as corridors is less investigated. Methods. Size-fractionated aerosol particles were collected weekly, with 12 hours of sampling time daily, in corridors at two infectious disease wards in southern Sweden between March 2020 and May 2021. Samples were analysed with real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) for detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Indoor temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 concentration were monitored during the sampling period. Results. 20 of the 784 collected samples contained SARS-CoV-2 RNA, although in low... (More)

Background. Airborne SARS-CoV-2 plays a prominent role in COVID-19 transmission. Numerous studies have sampled air from patient rooms, but airborne spread to other hospital areas such as corridors is less investigated. Methods. Size-fractionated aerosol particles were collected weekly, with 12 hours of sampling time daily, in corridors at two infectious disease wards in southern Sweden between March 2020 and May 2021. Samples were analysed with real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) for detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Indoor temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 concentration were monitored during the sampling period. Results. 20 of the 784 collected samples contained SARS-CoV-2 RNA, although in low concentrations. Positive air samples were found in sizes between 0.14 and 8.1 μm, but none >8.1 μm. 45% were found in submicron particles. No clear seasonal pattern was observed among the positive samples. There was no significant difference in the positivity rate of the samples between the two wards. Conclusions. SARS-CoV-2 was only detected in 2.6% of the aerosol samples, which indicates that the spread of airborne virus from patient rooms to the corridor was limited.

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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Indoor Air
volume
2024
article number
5578611
pages
7 pages
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:85189989928
ISSN
0905-6947
DOI
10.1155/2024/5578611
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
64dfdce0-119f-4c8c-8f31-050983557fc2
date added to LUP
2024-04-17 10:35:23
date last changed
2024-04-23 15:50:47
@article{64dfdce0-119f-4c8c-8f31-050983557fc2,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background. Airborne SARS-CoV-2 plays a prominent role in COVID-19 transmission. Numerous studies have sampled air from patient rooms, but airborne spread to other hospital areas such as corridors is less investigated. Methods. Size-fractionated aerosol particles were collected weekly, with 12 hours of sampling time daily, in corridors at two infectious disease wards in southern Sweden between March 2020 and May 2021. Samples were analysed with real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) for detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Indoor temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 concentration were monitored during the sampling period. Results. 20 of the 784 collected samples contained SARS-CoV-2 RNA, although in low concentrations. Positive air samples were found in sizes between 0.14 and 8.1 μm, but none &gt;8.1 μm. 45% were found in submicron particles. No clear seasonal pattern was observed among the positive samples. There was no significant difference in the positivity rate of the samples between the two wards. Conclusions. SARS-CoV-2 was only detected in 2.6% of the aerosol samples, which indicates that the spread of airborne virus from patient rooms to the corridor was limited.</p>}},
  author       = {{Thuresson, Sara and Fraenkel, Carl Johan and Sasinovich, Sviataslau and Medstrand, Patrik and Alsved, Malin and Löndahl, Jakob}},
  issn         = {{0905-6947}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{03}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Indoor Air}},
  title        = {{One year weekly size-resolved air sampling of SARS-CoV-2 in hospital corridors and relations to the indoor environment}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/5578611}},
  doi          = {{10.1155/2024/5578611}},
  volume       = {{2024}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}