Absence of SARS-CoV-2 Contamination of Personal Protective Equipment

Richard T. Ellison III, MD reviewing Ong SWX et al. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2020 Mar 26

The terrible shortage of single-use, personal protective equipment (PPE) — such as eye protection, gowns, gloves, and, in particular, surgical masks and N95 respirators — during the current COVID-19 pandemic has forced healthcare facilities to consider reusing or extending the use of some PPE items. However, determining the safety of this approach depends first on knowing the level of contamination of these items.

To that end, investigators at a Singapore hospital evaluated samples collected with sterile swabs from the front surfaces of goggles, N95 respirators, and shoes worn by 30 healthcare workers (doctors, nurses, and cleaners) who had entered the rooms of 15 patients with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)–confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection.

All 90 samples tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR. The providers had been in the rooms for a mean of 6 minutes; activities included physical examinations, collecting respiratory samples, administering medications, and cleaning. None of the patients were on ventilatory support, and no aerosol-generating procedures had been performed.

Comment

This study was limited by its small size and the use of only surface swabs to collect samples, as opposed to more comprehensive methods, and by including only patients in airborne infection isolation rooms with 12 air exchanges per hour, as opposed to less-controlled environments. However, the results support efforts to conserve the supply of N95 respirators by approaches such as extended use and disinfection protocols.