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Giuseppe Lami / EPA
A new study at a hospital in Wuhan, China, found that coronavirus hovers in the air in areas where they have been patients and that there may be risks of infection up to 4 meters away. In addition, coronavirus was found in the soles of health professionals’ shoes.
The research published by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) was conducted between February 19 and March 2, 2020 in Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhanin China, the city where the Covid-19 outbreak began.
The researchers proven “air and surface samples” the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and a general room with Covid-19 patients. They concluded that the coronavirus was “widely distributed on the floor, computer rats, trash cans, and handrails, ”as indicated in the study.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus was “Detected in the air 4 meters from the patients”, indicating that transmission can occur at this distance.
The researchers explain that “swab samples” were collected from “potentially contaminated objects”, as well as samples of “indoor air” and “vents to detect aerosol exposure” of the virus. The main transmission routes of SARS-CoV-2 are “the respiratory droplets and close contact“Remember the study authors.
The conclusions obtained indicate that “the the positivity rate was relatively high for floor samples ”, with emphasis on the ICU, where it was 70% against only 15.4% of the general wing. “Gravity and air flow” may have caused “most of the virus’s droplets” to fall to the ground, the researchers explain.
“As the personal The doctor was walking in the room, the virus can be found all over the floor, as indicated 100% positivity rate on the pharmacy floor., where there were no patients, “they refer, noting that” all the samples of the soles of the shoes of the ICU medical personnel tested positive. “
“He soles of medical personnel can act as carriers“From the coronavirus, scientists say,” the positive results of three weeks on the locker room floor “used by medical personnel also stand out.
Therefore, they leave the recommendation that “the people disinfect the soles of shoes before leaving rooms containing patients with Covid-19 ″.
A “relatively high positivity rate was also found for the surfaces of objects frequently touched by the personal doctor or patients. “The highest rates were detected in the computer mice (75% in the ICU and 20% in the general ward), followed by trash cans (60% in the ICU) and the railing (42.9% in the ICU).
The study also shows “sporadic positive results” in the “sleeves and gloves of medical personnel “, suggesting that health professionals should practice hygiene” immediately after contact with the patient “.
There was also a high rate of positivity in the masks for patientsAs expected, you should “properly disinfect these masks before disposing of them,” the researchers recommend.
“The transmission distance can be 4 meters”
The investigation also concludes that “exposure to SARS-CoV-2 aerosols carries risks” and that the “transmission distance may be 4 meters.”
“He virus-laden aerosols they were mainly concentrated near and downstream of the patients, “but the risk of exposure was also present in the upstream area,” the study authors stress.
“He highest risk area it was the treatment and patient care, where the positivity rate was 40.6% “, while” the area of least risk was the doctor’s office, where the positivity rate was 12.5% ”.
The virus was also detected “in the air and on the surface of objects, both in the ICU and in the general wing”, which represents “a high risk of infection potential”For health professionals.
In view of this, scientists consider that the home insulation of people with Covid-19 may “not be a good control strategy”, as there may be risks of developing “bunches family members of infection “. As an example, they note that China has isolated all patients, even the least serious, to receive care from a medical professional, allowing them to control the outbreak more quickly.
The authors of the research note, however, that research has “two limitations”. On the one hand, “the results of the nucleic acid test do not indicate the amount of viable virus” and, on the other hand, “for the unknown minimum infectious dose, the transmission distance of the aerosol cannot be strictly determined”. This implies that more studies are needed to draw definitive conclusions.
In any case, the study reinforces the importance of “improving safety practices for medical personnel”, especially when working in ICUs.
