key: cord-0754481-3s5p9yw6
authors: Hirotsu, Yosuke; Maejima, Makoto; Nakajima, Masumi; Mochizuki, Hitoshi; Omata, Masao
title: Environmental cleaning is effective for the eradication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus in contaminated hospital rooms: A patient from the Diamond Princess cruise ship
date: 2020-04-17
journal: Infection control and hospital epidemiology
DOI: 10.1017/ice.2020.144
sha: a8fea0e8090588bf770f64dffb030d4dbaaf1f2b
doc_id: 754481
cord_uid: 3s5p9yw6

nan

oxygen from day 4 to day 15. After careful clinical management, the patient's overall status improved. RT-PCR showed that his sputum was positive for SARS-CoV-2 on day 11. Subsequently, nasopharyngeal swabs were negative on days 17, 22, and 29.

The patient stayed in room A for 3 days, during which he had the SARS-CoV-2 infection. After cleaning room A, 5 environmental samples were examined by RT-PCR. All samples were negative for SARS-CoV-2 and were positive or negative for RPP30 (Table 1) .

After the patient left room A, he resided in room B for 20 days. Ten environmental samples were collected after cleaning. All 10 samples from room B were negative for SARS-CoV-2 and were positive or negative for RPP30 (Table 1) .

SARS-CoV-2 is detectable in several types of clinical samples including bronchial lavage fluid, nasopharyngeal swab, pharyngeal swab, sputum, saliva, and feces. 4, 5 Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via surfaces in hospitals is of great concern to medical staff and patients. Blocking the potential routes of transmission is essential for preventing the spread of SARS-CoV-2. 6 A recent study showed that environmental contamination can occur via contact with patients with SARS-CoV-2 and upper respiratory tract symptoms. 7 After cleaning, all areas were negative for SARS-CoV-2; therefore, thorough cleaning is sufficient for SARS-CoV-2 decontamination.

This study had several limitations. First, RT-PCR was not performed before cleaning because of the risk of nosocomial transmission. Therefore, a comparison of the viral loads of high-touch areas before and after cleaning is required. Second, this study involved a single patient, and further studies are required to confirm these findings.

In summary, our data indicate the effectiveness of environmental cleaning for SARS-CoV-2 decontamination. This information is useful for infection control strategies and may alleviate the concerns of medical staff. 

Clinical characteristics of 138 hospitalized patients with 2019 novel coronavirus-infected pneumonia in Wuhan, China

Aerosol and surface stability of SARS-CoV-2 as compared with SARS-CoV-1

Double-quencher probes improved the detection sensitivity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by one-step RT-PCR

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in different types of clinical specimens

Consistent detection of 2019 novel coronavirus in saliva

Persistence of coronaviruses on inanimate surfaces and their inactivation with biocidal agents

Surface environmental, and personal protective equipment contamination by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from a symptomatic patient

Acknowledgments. We thank all of the medical and ancillary hospital staff and the patients for consenting to participate. We thank Suzanne Leech, PhD, from the Edanz Group for editing a draft of this manuscript. Conflicts of interest. All authors report no conflicts of interest relevant to this article.