Objectives

Although contact precaution is generally recommended in situations where coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is suspected, there is limited evidence on environmental contamination of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Therefore, we conducted environmental surveillance on SARS-CoV-2 contamination in 2 different healthcare settings.

Methods

Viral contamination was investigated on the environment of 2 hospitals that had admitted 13 COVID-19 patients. In hospital A, 5 patients with pneumonia occupied negative pressure rooms. In hospital B, 8 asymptomatic patients shared 2 common 4-bed rooms. Most rooms were poorly cleaned or disinfected. Environmental swab were collected from inside and outside the rooms and were tested using real-time RT-PCR for the detection of SARS-CoV-2.

Results

In hospital A, SARS-CoV-2 was detected in 10 of 57 (17.5%) samples from inside the rooms including the Ambu bag and infusion pump. Two samples obtained at more than 2 m from the patients showed positive results. In hospital B, 3 of 22 (13.6%) samples from inside the rooms were positive. Areas outside the rooms, such as the anteroom, corridor, and nursing station, were all negative in both hospitals.

Conclusions

Hospital surfaces surrounding patients were contaminated by SARS-CoV-2. Our findings support the value of strict contact precaution, routine cleaning, and disinfection in the management of COVID-19 patients.

中文翻译：

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韩国 COVID-19 爆发期间 SARS-CoV-2 的环境污染。

 目标

尽管在怀疑 2019 年冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 的情况下通常建议采取接触预防措施，但有关严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 环境污染的证据有限。因此，我们在 2 个不同的医疗机构中对 SARS-CoV-2 污染进行了环境监测。

 方法

对收治了 13 名 COVID-19 患者的 2 家医院的环境进行了病毒污染调查。 A医院负压病房内有5名肺炎患者。在B医院，8名无症状患者共用2间普通的4床房间。大多数房间清洁或消毒效果不佳。从房间内外采集环境拭子，并使用实时 RT-PCR 进行 SARS-CoV-2 检测。

 结果

在 A 医院，房间内的 57 个样本中有 10 个（17.5%）检测到了 SARS-CoV-2，其中包括 Ambu 袋和输液泵。从距离患者超过 2 m 处采集的两个样本显示出阳性结果。在 B 医院，房间内 22 份样本中有 3 份（13.6%）呈阳性。两家医院的房间外的区域，如接待室、走廊和护理站，均为阴性。

 结论

患者周围的医院表面被 SARS-CoV-2 污染。我们的研究结果支持严格的接触预防措施、常规清洁和消毒在 COVID-19 患者管理中的价值。