Viable SARS-CoV-2 in the air of a hospital room with COVID-19 patients
John A. Lednicky, Michael Lauzardo, Z. Hugh Fan, Antarpreet Jutla, Trevor B. Tilly, Mayank Gangwar, Moiz Usmani, Sripriya Nannu Shankar, Karim Mohamed, Arantza Eiguren-Fernández, Caroline J. Stephenson, Md. Mahbubul Alam, Maha A. Elbadry, Julia C. Loeb, Kuttichantran Subramaniam, Thomas B. Waltzek, Kartikeya Cherabuddi, J. Glenn Morris, Chang‐Yu Wu
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Because the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in aerosols but failure to isolate viable (infectious) virus are commonly reported, there is substantial controversy whether severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can be transmitted through aerosols. This conundrum occurs because common air samplers can inactivate virions through their harsh collection processes. We sought to resolve the question whether viable SARS-CoV-2 can occur in aerosols using VIVAS air samplers that operate on a gentle water vapor condensation principle. METHODS: Air samples collected in the hospital room of two coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) patients, one ready for discharge and the other newly admitted, were subjected to RT-qPCR and virus culture. The genomes of the SARS-CoV-2 collected from the air and isolated in cell culture were sequenced. RESULTS: units/L of air. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with respiratory manifestations of COVID-19 produce aerosols in the absence of aerosol-generating procedures that contain viable SARS-CoV-2, and these aerosols may serve as a source of transmission of the virus.