Environmental Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 for Internal Quality Management in a Clinical Laboratory

As an emerging infectious disease, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) exhibits occult infection, which might cause difficulties in controlling disease spread. The possibility of aerosol transmission in a relatively closed environment contributes to the high infectivity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in hospitals. This study presents an environmental surveillance system for SARS-CoV-2 that is suitable for a clinical laboratory and may also lead to further assessment of infection prevention programs in different departments in hospitals.

The study was performed in a SARS-CoV-2 RNA laboratory involved in the diagnosis of COVID-19 in China. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays were used to detect viral pathogens. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) for monitoring infectious pathogens were developed in this study.

In total, more than 180 air and surface samples were tested for SARS-CoV-2 to determine whether the virus was present at the airborne and particle level. The employed molecular method effectively identified environmental contamination.

Our study suggests that regular environmental surveillance is critical in a clinical PCR laboratory. The presented strategy could also be used for monitoring and surveillance in negative pressure wards and clinics in hospitals to prevent hospital-acquired infections.