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Air dispersal of severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2): Implications for hospital infection control during the fifth wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant in Hong Kong

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 October 2022

Shuk-Ching Wong Open the ORCID record for Shuk-Ching Wong [Opens in a new window] ,
Veronica Wing-Man Chan ,
Lithia Lai-Ha Yuen ,
Christine Ho-Yan AuYeung ,
Jessica Oi-Yan Leung ,
Chi-Kuen Li ,
Monica Oi-Tung Kwok ,
Simon Yung-Chun So ,
Jonathan Hon-Kwan Chen Open the ORCID record for Jonathan Hon-Kwan Chen [Opens in a new window]  and
Anthony Raymond Tam Open the ORCID record for Anthony Raymond Tam [Opens in a new window]
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Shuk-Ching Wong
Affiliation:
Infection Control Team, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong West Cluster, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
Veronica Wing-Man Chan
Affiliation:
Infection Control Team, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong West Cluster, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
Lithia Lai-Ha Yuen
Affiliation:
Infection Control Team, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong West Cluster, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
Christine Ho-Yan AuYeung
Affiliation:
Infection Control Team, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong West Cluster, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
Jessica Oi-Yan Leung
Affiliation:
Infection Control Team, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong West Cluster, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
Chi-Kuen Li
Affiliation:
Infection Control Team, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong West Cluster, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
Monica Oi-Tung Kwok
Affiliation:
Infection Control Team, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong West Cluster, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
Simon Yung-Chun So
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
Jonathan Hon-Kwan Chen
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
Anthony Raymond Tam
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
Ivan Fan-Ngai Hung
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
Kelvin Kai-Wang To
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
Janice Yee-Chi Lo
Affiliation:
Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
Kwok-Yung Yuen
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
Vincent Chi-Chung Cheng*
Affiliation:
Infection Control Team, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong West Cluster, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China Department of Microbiology, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
*
Author for correspondence: Vincent Chi-Chung Cheng, E-mail: vcccheng@hku.hk
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Abstract

We obtained 24 air samples in 8 general wards temporarily converted into negative-pressure wards admitting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) omicron variant BA.2.2 in Hong Kong. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in 19 (79.2%) of 24 samples despite enhanced indoor air dilution. It is difficult to prevent airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in hospitals.

Type
Original Article
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 44 , Issue 8 , August 2023 , pp. 1321 - 1324
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

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References

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