Abstract View
Measurements of Patient-Generated SARS-CoV-2 Aerosols and Surface Contamination at the University of Nebraska Medical Center
JOSHUA SANTARPIA, St. Patrick Reid, Danielle Rivera, Vicki Herrera, Shanna Ratnesar-Shumate, Kevin Crown, Nicholas Markin, Steven Lisco, St. Patrick Reid, Jane Morwitzer, Paul Denton, Jacob Martens, Ying Fang, Michael Callahan, Jana Broadhurst, Hanna Creager, Conoan Nicholas, David Brett-Major, Elizabeth Schnaubelt, James Lawler, John Lowe, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Abstract Number: 329
Working Group: The Role of Aerosol Science in the Understanding of the Spread and Control of COVID-19 and Other Infectious Diseases
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) originated in Wuhan, China, and the resulting disease, COVID-19, is an ongoing global pandemic. Initial uncertainty around the role of aerosols in transmission led to shifting guidance from worldwide public health organizations. We began environmental surveys around patients beginning with those transferred from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, and continues with patients in isolation care. In these studies, we have collected both aerosol and surface samples with both severely ill and less symptomatic individuals, during various stages of illness. We have used rRT-PCR analysis to identify the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the samples, and have performed cell culture to determine viral infectivity. Aerosol collections initially focused on high-volume sampling (50 Lpm) and later focused on size-segregated samples and measurements of aerosol distributions. Cell culture proved difficult, particularly with initial samples, but infectious virus was identified in several samples. Ongoing work is attempting to understand the viral shedding rate of infected patients and the characteristics of viral aerosol shed by patients throughout the course of disease. These studies produced the first observations of infectious SARS-CoV-2 from environmental samples. Therefore, these studies, in context with other studies, suggest the importance of the airborne transmission route, and further indicate the breathing and vocalization may be important to the production of viral aerosols, providing potential explanation for reported asymptomatic and presymptomatic transmission events and highlight the importance of airborne isolation precautions in hospital care and the importance of implementing effective measures against aerosol transmission in public health.