Table IV.
Frequency of detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in air samples
| Setting (country) | Placement of sampler | Sampled volumes of air | Detection of viral RNA | Additional information | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital rooms of confirmed COVID-19 patients (Iran) | 2–5 m away from patients with severe and critical symptoms, height of 1.5–1.8 m | 10 samples of 90 L | None | None | [204] |
| General ward with 8 air supplies and 12 air discharges per hour | General ward: different regions around the patient under the air inlet, and in the patient corridor | General ward: 16 samples of 9000 L | General ward: 2 samples (12.5%) | Highest detection rate in patients' rooms (8 of 18; 44.4%), followed by near air outlets (5 of 15; 33.3%) and doctors office area (1 of 8; 12.5%) | [138] |
| ICU with 12 air supplies and 16 air discharges per hour (China) | ICU: different regions near the air outlet, near the patients and around the doctors' office area | ICU: 40 samples of 9000 L | ICU: 14 samples (35%) | ||
| Dedicated SARS-CoV-2 outbreak centre with 12 air exchanges per hour (Singapore) | In patient room and anteroom | 6 samples of 1200 L | None | None | [186] |
| Outside the patient room | 6 samples of 1.5 m3 | None | |||
| Isolation ward with 12 air exchanges per hour (China) | Negative pressure non-intensive care unit | 6 samples of 1500 L | None | None | [205] |
| COVID-19 isolation rooms with 12 air exchanges per hour (Hong Kong) | Umbrella fitted with transparent plastic curtains as an air shelter to cover patients; 10 cm distance to patient's chin | 10 samples of 1000 L | None | Direct sneezing on air filter: 1 of 5 samples positive; direct spitting on air filter: 5 of 5 samples positive | [136] |
| COVID-19 hospital (China) | Different departments in medical areas | 44 samples of unknown volume | None | None | [206] |
| COVID-19 cases in isolation at home (Germany) | Middle of room most frequently used by residents | 15 samples of 3000 L | None | None | [141] |
| Isolation rooms for COVID-19 patients (Ireland) | Surrounding of COVID-19 patients | 16 samples of unknown volume | None | None | [207] |
| Intensive care units in designated COVID-19 hospital (China) | At the head of the bed within one meter of the patient's head | 58 samples of 840 L∗ or 420 L∗∗ | 1.7% | Detection near the head of the patient (1 sample) | [208] |
| Isolation wards in designated COVID-19 hospital (China) | Patient rooms and bathroom | 38 samples of 840 L∗ or 420 L∗∗ | 7.9% | Detection in bathroom (2 samples) and the patient room (1 sample) | [208] |
ICU, intensive care unit.
∗
NIOSH sampler.
∗∗
DingBlue sampler.