Aerodynamic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in two Wuhan hospitals

Yuan Liu, Zhi Ning (), Yu Chen (), Ming Guo, Yingle Liu, Nirmal Kumar Gali, Li Sun, Yusen Duan, Jing Cai, Dane Westerdahl, Xinjin Liu, Ke Xu, Kin-fai Ho (), Haidong Kan (), Qingyan Fu () and Ke Lan ()
Additional contact information
Yuan Liu: Wuhan University
Zhi Ning: The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Yu Chen: Wuhan University
Ming Guo: Wuhan University
Yingle Liu: Wuhan University
Nirmal Kumar Gali: The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Li Sun: The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Yusen Duan: Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center
Jing Cai: Fudan University
Dane Westerdahl: The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Xinjin Liu: Wuhan University
Ke Xu: Wuhan University
Kin-fai Ho: The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Haidong Kan: Fudan University
Qingyan Fu: Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center
Ke Lan: Wuhan University

Nature, 2020, vol. 582, issue 7813, 557-560

Abstract: Abstract The ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly on a global scale. Although it is clear that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is transmitted through human respiratory droplets and direct contact, the potential for aerosol transmission is poorly understood1–3. Here we investigated the aerodynamic nature of SARS-CoV-2 by measuring viral RNA in aerosols in different areas of two Wuhan hospitals during the outbreak of COVID-19 in February and March 2020. The concentration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in aerosols that was detected in isolation wards and ventilated patient rooms was very low, but it was higher in the toilet areas used by the patients. Levels of airborne SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the most public areas was undetectable, except in two areas that were prone to crowding; this increase was possibly due to individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the crowd. We found that some medical staff areas initially had high concentrations of viral RNA with aerosol size distributions that showed peaks in the submicrometre and/or supermicrometre regions; however, these levels were reduced to undetectable levels after implementation of rigorous sanitization procedures. Although we have not established the infectivity of the virus detected in these hospital areas, we propose that SARS-CoV-2 may have the potential to be transmitted through aerosols. Our results indicate that room ventilation, open space, sanitization of protective apparel, and proper use and disinfection of toilet areas can effectively limit the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in aerosols. Future work should explore the infectivity of aerosolized virus.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2271-3

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