Airborne SARS-CoV-2 RNA detected during deliveries with unmasked patients
Sara Thuresson, Malin Alsved, Åsa Leijonhufvud, Andreas Herbst, Patrik Medstrand, Jakob Löndahl, Carl-Johan Fraenkel
TL;DR
Air samples in delivery rooms showed SARS-CoV-2 RNA, suggesting some patients may spread the virus through the air during childbirth.
Contribution
The study identifies airborne SARS-CoV-2 RNA in delivery rooms during childbirth, highlighting potential transmission risks.
Findings
Six of 28 air samples in delivery rooms tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA.
Five positive samples came from the same delivery event.
No SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in anterooms or corridors.
Abstract
Healthcare workers in obstetric clinics may be exposed to airborne SARS-CoV-2 when treating patients with COVID-19. In this study, performed during the midst of the pandemic, air samples were collected in delivery rooms during childbirth and analysed for SARS-CoV-2 RNA content. Six of 28 samples collected inside delivery rooms were positive for SARS-CoV-2, but none in anterooms or corridors. Five of the six positive samples were from the same occasion. This indicates that some patients could be major sources of exhaled virus, although the individual variation is large, and it is thus difficult to predict the risk of infection.
Genes, proteins, chemicals, diseases, species, mutations and cell lines named across the full text — each resolved to its canonical identifier and authoritative record.
Peer Reviews
No public reviews on file for this paper yet. If you reviewed it on a platform where reviews are public (OpenReview, ICLR, NeurIPS, ICML), you can paste yours below so the community can read it here.
Videos
No videos yet. Explain this paper in a talk, walkthrough, or lecture? Add one.
Taxonomy
TopicsInfection Control and Ventilation · COVID-19 and healthcare impacts · COVID-19 epidemiological studies