In a joint study by the Cellular and Molecular Biology centre in Hyderabad and the Institute of Microbial Technology in Chandigarh, has found that an airborne transmission of coronavirus infection in hospitals where more symptomatic patients are inside a closed room for a minimum an hour. Furthermore, the coronavirus infectionis found to be present at more than 10-feet distance from patients in the hospital.

The study, known as ‘Identification of SARS-CoV-2 in the air from closed rooms and hospitals occupied by COVID-19 patients’ is a preprint authored by Shivranjani C Moharir, Rakesh K Mishra, Sanjeev Khosla, T Sharath Chandra and Amit Tuli.

A total number of 64 air samples were collected from almost three hospitals each from Mohali and Hyderabad. Air samples were collected from COVID-19 ICUs, COVID-19 wards, nurse stations, non-COVID-19 wards, corridors, PPE doffing areas, OP corridors, mortuary, COVID-19 rooms, COVID-19 casualty areas, doctors’ rooms and non-COVID-19 ICUs. 4 out of 64 samples came positive for SARS-CoV-2 virus and 16 others also showed traces of the coronavirus.

The scientists stated that the chance of getting SARSCoV-2 virus in the air is directly associated to the number of coronavirus positive cases in a room, the duration of exposure and their symptomatic status. The demarcation of hospital areas into Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 areas is a successful strategy to prevent cross infections. 23 air samples from Mohali, were collected from three tertiary care hospitals between July and December. Only one ICU sample was positive among these.

The virus could not be detected in any of the non-COVID-19 areas, thus providing objective data that the approach of demarcation hospital premises into COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 care areas is effective.

Source: ET Healthworld