Infection control and hospital epidemiology : the official journal of the Society of Hospital Epidemiologists of America
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Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · Jun 2021
Effectiveness of germicidal ultraviolet light to inactivate coronaviruses on personal protective equipment to reduce nosocomial transmission.
To circumvent the need for rationing personal protective equipment (PPE), we explored whether germicidal ultraviolet light (GUV) could be used to inactivate human coronaviruses on PPE, enabling safe reuse. ⋯ We demonstrate that diverse human coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, are susceptible to GUV inactivation, and 2 scalable portable GUV devices were effective in inactivating coronaviruses on N95 respirators. Thus, GUV treatment with commercially scalable devices may be an effective method to decontaminate PPE, allowing their safe reuse.
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Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · Jun 2021
Scalable in-hospital decontamination of N95 filtering face-piece respirator with a peracetic acid room disinfection system.
Critical shortages of personal protective equipment, especially N95 respirators, during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to be a source of concern. Novel methods of N95 filtering face-piece respirator decontamination that can be scaled-up for in-hospital use can help address this concern and keep healthcare workers (HCWs) safe. ⋯ The PAA room disinfection system provides a rapidly scalable solution for in-hospital decontamination of large numbers of N95 respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · Jun 2021
ReviewUnderstanding viral shedding of severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2): Review of current literature.
Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 has significant implications for hospital infection prevention and control, discharge management, and public health. We reviewed available literature to reach an evidenced-based consensus on the expected duration of viral shedding. ⋯ SARS-COV-2 RNA shedding can be prolonged, yet high heterogeneity exists. Detection of viral RNA may not correlate with infectivity since available viral culture data suggests shorter durations of shedding of viable virus. Additional data are needed to determine the duration of shedding of viable virus and the implications for risk of transmission.