SARS-CoV-2 Contamination in the Hospital Setting

A preprint study was done in China to survey the parts of the hospitals that were most contaminated by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The SARS-CoV-2 virus causes Covid-19.

Many healthcare workers have gotten infected and died in China, Italy and the U.S. secondary to Covid-19.

Knowing the places and objects in the health care setting and parts of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) with the highest risk of contamination is vital to prevent infection in everyone working in a hospital.

The degree of contamination are arranged from the worst at the top to the least at the bottom.

Most Contaminated Areas in the Hospital

1. Intensive Care Unit 31.9%
2. Obstetric Isolation Ward specialized for pregnant women with Covid-19 – 28.1%
   
3. Isolation Ward for Covid-9  – 19.6%
4. Outpatient Lobby  16.7% positive samples
5. Emergency Department – 12.5% 
6. Office and Preparation Area of the Isolation Ward for Covid-19 patients – 12.2%
7. Obstetric Ward – 12.1%
8. Clinical Laboratories –  11.5%
9. Fever Clinics –  6.5%
10. CT Examination Room –  5.6%
11. General Ward –  5.5%
12. Administrative Area and the Parking Lot had zero contamination

Most Contaminated Objects

1. Self-service printers – 20.0% 
2. Desktop/keyboard – 16.8% 
3. Doorknobs – 16.0%
4. Telephones – 12.5%
5. Medical equipment – 12.5%
   • finger clips of pulse oximetry
   • electrocardiogram monitors
   • oxygen cylinders
   • oxygen regulators
   • oxygen masks
   • CT scanning machine
   • centrifuge
   • biosafety cabinet
   • Ventilators
6. Public facilities – 8%
   • elevator buttons
   • microwave ovens
   • faucets
   • handrails
   • hair drier  
7. Walls and floors – 6% 

Most Contaminated PPEs

1. Hand sanitizer dispensers –  20.3%
2. Gloves  – 15.4%  
3. Eye protection or face shields – 1.7%

Take-Away Message

Objects not directly related to patient care like printers, telephones, and keyboards are highly contaminated. Administrative assistants or secretaries should be aware and take precautions.

The results in this study give us an idea of the levels of contamination but may not necessarily reflect all hospitals.

Precaution should be exercised while in a health care facility, and everything should be considered contaminated to prevent bringing the virus home.

Everyone should be mindful of minimizing the spread to their coworkers.

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Don’t Get Sick!

Related Readings:

1. The Complete COVID-19 Articles

2. How Long Can the Covid-19 Virus Survive in Common Surfaces?

3. 5 Reasons why COVID-19 Spreads Fast

4. 6 Home Disinfectants for the Covid-19

5. 5 Hand Disinfectants for Coronavirus You May not Know

6. You Can Become Infected by the Coronavirus Thru the Eyes!

7. Coronavirus Infection Precautions

8. The Proper Use of a Personal Protective Equipment Against Infections

9. How Long does the Covid-19 Virus Float in the Air and Stay on Surface?

10. The Secondary Attack Rate of Covid-19

Reference:

Wang et al. Environmental contamination of the SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare premises: An urgent call for protection for healthcare workers. medRxiv. BMJ Yale. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.11.20034546

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