The Removal of Airborne Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Other Microbial Bioaerosols by Air Filtration on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Surge Units

Andrew Conway Morris; Katherine Sharrocks; Rachel Bousfield; Leanne Kermack; Mailis Maes; Ellen Higginson; Sally Forrest; Joana Pereira-Dias; Claire Cormie; Tim Old; Sophie Brooks; Islam Hamed; Alicia Koenig; Andrew Turner; Paul White; R Andres Floto; Gordon Dougan; Effrossyni Gkrania-Klotsas; Theodore Gouliouris; Stephen Baker; Vilas Navapurkar

doi:10.1093/cid/ciab933

The Removal of Airborne Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Other Microbial Bioaerosols by Air Filtration on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Surge Units

Clin Infect Dis. 2022 Aug 24;75(1):e97-e101. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciab933.

Authors

Andrew Conway Morris^{1

2}, Katherine Sharrocks³, Rachel Bousfield^{3

4}, Leanne Kermack⁵, Mailis Maes⁵, Ellen Higginson⁵, Sally Forrest⁵, Joana Pereira-Dias⁵, Claire Cormie⁵, Tim Old³, Sophie Brooks³, Islam Hamed¹, Alicia Koenig¹, Andrew Turner⁶, Paul White^{6

7}, R Andres Floto^{8

9}, Gordon Dougan⁵, Effrossyni Gkrania-Klotsas³, Theodore Gouliouris^{3

4}, Stephen Baker⁵, Vilas Navapurkar¹

Affiliations

¹ The John Farman ICU, Cambridge University Hospitals, National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
² University Division of Anaesthesia, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
³ Department of Infectious Diseases, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
⁴ Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
⁵ Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
⁶ Department of Clinical Engineering, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
⁷ Medical Technology Research Centre and School of Medicine, Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, United Kingdom.
⁸ Molecular Immunity Unit, University of Cambridge Department of Medicine, MRC-Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
⁹ Cambridge Centre for Lung Infection, Royal Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Abstract

Airborne severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was detected in a coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) ward before activation of HEPA-air filtration but not during filter operation; SARS-CoV-2 was again detected following filter deactivation. Airborne SARS-CoV-2 was infrequently detected in a COVID-19 intensive care unit. Bioaerosol was also effectively filtered.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; air filtration; airborne pathogens; nosocomial infection.

The Removal of Airborne Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Other Microbial Bioaerosols by Air Filtration on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Surge Units

Authors

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Abstract

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