#COVID19 Preprint Journal Club “SARS-CoV-2 in environmental samples of quarantined households”

So this one is from back in June, I had been meaning to check it out but was just reminded today on Twitter by Bastien Chevreux. “SARS-CoV-2 in environmental samples of quarantined households” is a fairly straightforward application of environmental surveillance to a household.  Virtually every other monitoring study I’ve seen (wastewater aside) has been …

#COVID19 Preprint Journal Club: “Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in commercial passenger aircraft and cruise ship wastewater: a surveillance tool for assessing the presence of COVID-19 infected travelers”

So we’ve written a lot about wastewater monitoring as a tool for community-level surveillance for SARS-CoV-2.  I thought this article was a nice twist on that… looking at airplanes and cruise ships as a way to better monitor the virus in a travel setting.  Abstract below: Abstract Background Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) for the severe acute …

#COVID19 Preprint Journal Club: “Implementing a Negative Pressure Isolation Space within a Skilled Nursing Facility to Control SARS-CoV-2 Transmission”

Another useful preprint by Shelly Miller at CU Boulder and colleagues.  In this case, “Implementing a Negative Pressure Isolation Space within a Skilled Nursing Facility to Control SARS-CoV-2 Transmission” is exactly what the title says.  A demonstration of modifying an existing HVAC system to control the flow of air in a high risk environment.  Good …

#COVID19 Preprint Journal Club: “Detection and Survival of SARS-coronavirus in Human Stool, Urine, Wastewater and Sludge”

(h/t to Heather Bischel for the link) Yet another really nice and comprehensive review of the state of things regarding wastewater sampling for SARS-CoV-2.  “Detection and Survival of SARS-coronavirus in Human Stool, Urine, Wastewater and Sludge“.  This paper does a particularly nice job of looking at the following three questions: 1)What is the evidence for …

#COVID19 Preprint Journal Club; “Identification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Healthcare Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Units”

This one from our collaborators at the University of Oregon, “Identification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Healthcare Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Units“.  In this work they swabbed a bunch of locations on various air handlers in a healthcare setting and looked for SARS-CoV-2… finding it in about 25% of swabs.  Most potentially worrying is the …

#COVID19 Journal Club: “Wastewater-Based Epidemiology: Global Collaborative to Maximize Contributions in the Fight Against COVID-19”

This is less of an article than an announcement of a global collaboration and website for wastewater sampling for SARS-CoV-2.  “Wastewater-Based Epidemiology: Global Collaborative to Maximize Contributions in the Fight Against COVID-19“.  This is a non peer-reviewed opinion piece that summarizes the current state of knowledge on wastewater testing for SARS-CoV-2 and describes their COVID-19 …

#COVID19; Of fomites and nosocomial infections

(h/t to Jonathan Eisen for the original article) Virtually all the discussion these days is about aerosol/airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2, and probably rightly so… there’s a lot of evidence that these are the primary routes of transmission.   But as a recent Medscape article admonishes; “Don’t Forget the Fomites as Face-to-Face Care Ramps Up“.  It’s still …

#COVID19 Journal Club: “Recognizing and controlling airborne transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 in indoor environments”

This is a nice and clear (and short) editorial by Joseph Allen and Linsey Marr; “Recognizing and controlling airborne transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 in indoor environments“.  Basically they summarize the evidence for airborne transmission and suggest some mitigation strategies.  Definitely worth a read.  Abstract below: Sharing indoor space has been confirmed as a major risk factor …

#COVID19 Preprint Journal Club “Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by inhalation of respiratory aerosol in the Skagit Valley Chorale superspreading event”

Another paper highlighting the importance of the aerosols in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.  This one is by a number of awesome folks in the field including Shelly Miller and Linsey Marr who have been some of the leading voices in understanding the airborne/aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2.  Most people have probably heard of “that choir event …