Environmental Surface Contamination with SARS-CoV-2: Toilets as the Most Contaminated Surfaces in COVID-19 Referral Hospital

Abstract

Introduction

The possibility of surface transmission in hospitals with high density of COVID- 19 patients is unneglectable. The aim of this study is to determine the extent of surface contamination in coronavirus central hospital of Ilam province in western Iran.

Materials and methods

In this experimental study, 205 samples were taken from environmental surfaces in hospital. SARS-CoV-2 RNA detected by Real-time RT-PCR.

Results

121 out of 205 (50.02%) samples were positive. The most contaminated objects were toilet sites (5/5,100% ICU; 5/5, 100% isolation wards).

Conclusion

High surface contamination with SARS-CoV-2 proposes the surface as a potential route of transmission.

Keywords:

• SARS-CoV-2
• COVID-19
• environmental
• surface contamination
• hospital
• environmental hygiene

Acknowledgments

We thank all the hospital staff involved in the COVID -19 Pandemic, especially employees who work in the corona virus laboratory of Ilam University of Medical Sciences. We would also like to thank of the health-care workers of Shahid Mustafa Khomeini Hospital Complex at Ilam province, Iran.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declared that there is no conflicts of interests.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Ilam University of Medical Science (IR.MEDILAM.REC.1399.065).