tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Hazard Mater Lett
. 2021 Nov;2:100027.
doi: 10.1016/j.hazl.2021.100027. Epub 2021 May 19.
SARS-CoV-2 spillover into hospital outdoor environments
Dayi Zhang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Xian Zhang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yunfeng Yang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Xia Huang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jingkun Jiang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Miao Li[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Haibo Ling[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jing Li[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Yi Liu[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Guanghe Li[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Weiwei Li[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Chuan Yi[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Ting Zhang[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Yongzhong Jiang[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Yan Xiong[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Zhenyu He[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Xinzi Wang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Songqiang Deng[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Peng Zhao[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Jiuhui Qu[SUP] 1 6 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Facing the ongoing coronavirus infectious disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many studies focus on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in indoor environment, on solid surface or in wastewater. It remains unclear whether SARS-CoV-2 can spill over into outdoor environments and impose transmission risks to surrounding people and communities. In this study, we investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 by measuring viral RNA in 118 samples from outdoor environment of three hospitals in Wuhan. We detected SARS-CoV-2 in soils (205-550 copies/g), aerosols (285-1,130 copies/m[SUP]3[/SUP]) and wastewaters (255-18,744 copies/L) in locations close to hospital departments receiving COVID-19 patients or in wastewater treatment sectors. These findings revealed a significant viral spillover in hospital outdoor environments that was possibly caused by respiratory droplets from patients or aerosolized particles from wastewater containing SARS-CoV-2. In contrast, SARS-CoV-2 was not detected in other areas or on surfaces with regular implemented disinfection. Soils may behave as viral warehouse through deposition and serve as a secondary source spreading SARS-CoV-2 for a prolonged time. For the first time, our findings demonstrate that there are high-risk areas out of expectation in hospital outdoor environments to spread SARS-CoV-2, calling for sealing of wastewater treatment unit and complete sanitation to prevent COVID-19 transmission risks.
Keywords: Outdoor environment; SARS-CoV-2; Spillover.
. 2021 Nov;2:100027.
doi: 10.1016/j.hazl.2021.100027. Epub 2021 May 19.
SARS-CoV-2 spillover into hospital outdoor environments
Dayi Zhang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Xian Zhang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yunfeng Yang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Xia Huang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jingkun Jiang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Miao Li[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Haibo Ling[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jing Li[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Yi Liu[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Guanghe Li[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Weiwei Li[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Chuan Yi[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Ting Zhang[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Yongzhong Jiang[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Yan Xiong[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Zhenyu He[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Xinzi Wang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Songqiang Deng[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Peng Zhao[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Jiuhui Qu[SUP] 1 6 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 34977842
- PMCID: PMC8132549
- DOI: 10.1016/j.hazl.2021.100027
Abstract
Facing the ongoing coronavirus infectious disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many studies focus on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in indoor environment, on solid surface or in wastewater. It remains unclear whether SARS-CoV-2 can spill over into outdoor environments and impose transmission risks to surrounding people and communities. In this study, we investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 by measuring viral RNA in 118 samples from outdoor environment of three hospitals in Wuhan. We detected SARS-CoV-2 in soils (205-550 copies/g), aerosols (285-1,130 copies/m[SUP]3[/SUP]) and wastewaters (255-18,744 copies/L) in locations close to hospital departments receiving COVID-19 patients or in wastewater treatment sectors. These findings revealed a significant viral spillover in hospital outdoor environments that was possibly caused by respiratory droplets from patients or aerosolized particles from wastewater containing SARS-CoV-2. In contrast, SARS-CoV-2 was not detected in other areas or on surfaces with regular implemented disinfection. Soils may behave as viral warehouse through deposition and serve as a secondary source spreading SARS-CoV-2 for a prolonged time. For the first time, our findings demonstrate that there are high-risk areas out of expectation in hospital outdoor environments to spread SARS-CoV-2, calling for sealing of wastewater treatment unit and complete sanitation to prevent COVID-19 transmission risks.
Keywords: Outdoor environment; SARS-CoV-2; Spillover.