Asymptomatic COVID-19 Patients Can Contaminate Their Surroundings: an Environment Sampling Study
ABSTRACT
OBSERVATION
Patients and settings.
Room | Patient | Country returned from |
Result on the day of environment sampling | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Disease severity |
No. of days of illness |
SARS-CoV-2-positive clinical sample categorya |
|||
1 | A | United Kingdom | Asymptomatic | 18 | Nasopharyngeal swab |
2 | B | Iran | Mild | 24 | Stool |
C | France | Mild | 14 | Nasopharyngeal swab | |
D | Thailand | Asymptomatic | 5 | NAb | |
3 | E | Malaysia | Mild | 7 | NAc |
F | United States | Mild | 6 | NAd | |
4 | G | France | Mild | 12 | Nasopharyngeal swab |
H | United Kingdom | Mild | 14 | Nasopharyngeal swab | |
5 | I | United States | Mild | 10 | —e |
J | United Kingdom | Mild | 12 | Nasopharyngeal swab | |
K | United Kingdom | Mild | 14 | Nasopharyngeal swab | |
6 | L | United States | Mild | 9 | Nasopharyngeal swab |
M | United Kingdom | Mild | 10 | Nasopharyngeal swab |
Environmental surface sampling.
Site | No. of positive samples/total no. of samples (%) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Room 1, patient A |
Room 2, patients B, C, and D |
Room 3, patients E and F |
Room 4, patients G and H |
Room 5, patients I, J, and K |
Room 6, patients L and M |
Total | |
Patients’ rooms | |||||||
Door handle | 0/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 2/6 (33.3) |
Bedrail | 1/1 | 3/3 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 0/3 | 1/2 | 7/13 (53.9) |
Bedside table | 0/1 | 3/3 | 1/2 | 0/2 | 0/2 | 0/1 | 4/11 (36.4) |
Equipment belt on wall | 0/2 | 2/2 | 2/2 | 0/2 | 0/2 | 0/1 | 4/11 (36.4) |
Floor | 0/1 | 1/1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 1/1 | 2/6 (33.3) |
Pillow | 1/1 | 2/3 | 1/2 | 2/2 | 0/3 | 0/1 | 6/12 (50.0) |
Bedsheet | 1/1 | 3/3 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 0/3 | 0/1 | 6/12 (50.0) |
Air exhaust outlet | 1/1 | 1/1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 1/1 | 3/6 (50.0) |
Toilet area | |||||||
Door handle | 0/1 | 1/1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 1/6 (16.7) |
Light switch | —a | 1/1 | 1/1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 2/5 (40.0) |
Sink internal bowl and drain | 0/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 2/6 (33.3) |
Sink external rim | 0/1 | 1/1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 1/6 (16.7) |
Toilet bowl and drain | 0/1 | 1/1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 1/1 | 2/6 (33.3) |
Foot flush button | 0/1 | 1/1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 1/1 | 0/1 | 2/6 (33.3) |
Total | 4/14 (28.6) | 22/23 (95.7) | 9/19 (47.4) | 4/19 (20.1) | 1/22 (4.6) | 4/15 (26.7) | 44/112 (39.3) |
Air sampling.
RT-PCR for detecting SARS-CoV-2.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
REFERENCES
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