HYDERABAD: After finding the
novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in drinking water, sewage and hospital walls, scientists have now isolated the virus from air samples collected from designated
Covid-19 wards.
Researchers at city-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and Chandigarh-based Institute of Microbial Technology (IMT) have studied three hospitals each in Hyderabad and Chandigarh to find if the novel coronavirus was present in the atmosphere. They found the virus was circulating in the special Covid-19 wards or hospitals, while those treating non-Covid-19 patients did not contain any traces of the virus.
CCMB and IMT researchers used an air sampler that collected virus particles, and then looked for their presence using RT-PCR. The study was published on preprint server MedRxiv.
“This suggests that demarcation of hospital zones has been an effective strategy,” the researchers said, adding the chances of picking up the virus in air was directly related to the number of Covid-19 positive cases in the room, symptomatic status and duration of exposure.” They said when Covid-19 individuals spent longer hours in a room, the virus was found in air for more than two hours even farther than two metres from their seating places. But for asymptomatic cases, the virus did not spread farther from them when they were seated in a room without air flow due to a fan or air-conditioner.
CCMB director Rakesh Mishra, the corresponding author of the study, said coronavirus can stay in air for some time. “If we ensure that we follow hygiene protocols such as regular handwashing, using masks and preventing symptomatic people from public mixing, we can start getting back to normalcy. Detecting and isolating positive cases early can help prevent the spread among other family members at home,” he said.
IMT director Sanjeev Khosla said: “Till the vaccines are available, social vaccine i.e. wearing mask is the best prevention.”