#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 …

#COVID19 Journal Club: “Can indoor sports centers be allowed to re-open during the COVID-19 pandemic based on a certificate of equivalence?”

More great information from Linsey Marr who has been at the forefront of some of the best science and discussions about SARS-CoV-2, especially on the risk of airborne transmission.  This article isn’t a study, but a detailed description of the science of SARS-CoV-2 in built environments and specific recommendations for indoor sports centers (but could …

#COVID19 Journal Club: Kind of strange “study” that’s not really about SARS-CoV-2

So here’s a bit of an odd “study”, published as a letter in the Journal of Hospital Infection about which the authors put out a press release as well.  The title is “COVID-19 pandemic, let’s not forget surfaces”.  No abstract since it’s a letter. Basically the authors took DNA from cauliflower mosaic virus, and inoculated …

#COVID19 Journal Club: “Collection of SARS-CoV-2 Virus from the Air of a Clinic within a University Student Health Care Center and Analyses of the Viral Genomic Sequence”

  This article (“Collection of SARS-CoV-2 Virus from the Air of a Clinic within a University Student Health Care Center and Analyses of the Viral Genomic Sequence”) caught my attention initially because of the air sampling aspect, but upon reading the Abstract I was struck by something else.  Here they did air sampling in a …

#COVID19 Preprint Journal Club: “How can airborne transmission of COVID-19 indoors be minimised?”

This is a must-read article for folks thinking about mitigating the risk of COVID-19 indoors.  A venerable author list, including many experts on all aspects of indoor ventilation, pathogen transmission, aerosol science, etc.  Since it is a review, it’s hard to summarize.  Basically they argue that the current status of the science on indoor microbiology …