• Amir Ben-Shmuel, Tal Brosh-Nissimov, Itai Glinert, Elad Bar-David, Assa Sittner, Reut Poni, Regev Cohen, Hagit Achdout, Hadas Tamir, Yfat Yahalom-Ronen, Boaz Politi, Sharon Melamed, Einat Vitner, Lilach Cherry, Ofir Israeli, Adi Beth-Din, Nir Paran, Tomer Israely, Shmuel Yitzhaki, Haim Levy, and Shay Weiss.
• Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel.
• Clin. Microbiol. Infect. 2020 Dec 1; 26 (12): 1658-1662.

ObjectivesEnvironmental surfaces have been suggested as likely contributors in the transmission of COVID-19. This study assessed the infectivity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) contaminating surfaces and objects in two hospital isolation units and a quarantine hotel.MethodsSARS-CoV-2 virus stability and infectivity on non-porous surfaces was tested under controlled laboratory conditions. Surface and air sampling were conducted at two COVID-19 isolation units and in a quarantine hotel. Viral RNA was detected by RT-PCR and infectivity was assessed by VERO E6 CPE test.ResultsIn laboratory-controlled conditions, SARS-CoV-2 gradually lost its infectivity completely by day 4 at ambient temperature, and the decay rate of viral viability on surfaces directly correlated with increase in temperature. Viral RNA was detected in 29/55 surface samples (52.7%) and 16/42 surface samples (38%) from the surroundings of symptomatic COVID-19 patients in isolation units of two hospitals and in a quarantine hotel for asymptomatic and very mild COVID-19 patients. None of the surface and air samples from the three sites (0/97) were found to contain infectious titres of SARS-Cov-2 on tissue culture assay.ConclusionsDespite prolonged viability of SARS-CoV-2 under laboratory-controlled conditions, uncultivable viral contamination of inanimate surfaces might suggest low feasibility for indirect fomite transmission.Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

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