tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Emerg Infect Dis
. 2022 Nov 2;28(12).
doi: 10.3201/eid2812.220666. Online ahead of print.
Probable Aerosol Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through Floors and Walls of Quarantine Hotel, Taiwan, 2021
Hsin-Yi Wei, Cheng-Ping Chang, Ming-Tsan Liu, Jung-Jung Mu, Yu-Ju Lin, Yu-Tung Dai, Chia-Ping Su
Abstract
We investigated a cluster of SARS-CoV-2 infections in a quarantine hotel in Taiwan in December 2021. The cluster involved 3 case patients who lived in nonadjacent rooms on different floors. They had no direct contact during their stay. By direct exploration of the space above the room ceilings, we found residual tunnels, wall defects, and truncated pipes between their rooms. We conducted a simplified tracer-gas experiment to assess the interconnection between rooms. Aerosol transmission through structural defects in floors and walls in this poorly ventilated hotel was the most likely route of virus transmission. This event demonstrates the high transmissibility of Omicron variants, even across rooms and floors, through structural defects. Our findings emphasize the importance of ventilation and integrity of building structure in quarantine facilities.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Taiwan; aerosol transmission; coronavirus disease; quarantine hotel; respiratory infections; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; vaccine-preventable diseases; viruses.
. 2022 Nov 2;28(12).
doi: 10.3201/eid2812.220666. Online ahead of print.
Probable Aerosol Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through Floors and Walls of Quarantine Hotel, Taiwan, 2021
Hsin-Yi Wei, Cheng-Ping Chang, Ming-Tsan Liu, Jung-Jung Mu, Yu-Ju Lin, Yu-Tung Dai, Chia-Ping Su
- PMID: 36322955
- DOI: 10.3201/eid2812.220666
Abstract
We investigated a cluster of SARS-CoV-2 infections in a quarantine hotel in Taiwan in December 2021. The cluster involved 3 case patients who lived in nonadjacent rooms on different floors. They had no direct contact during their stay. By direct exploration of the space above the room ceilings, we found residual tunnels, wall defects, and truncated pipes between their rooms. We conducted a simplified tracer-gas experiment to assess the interconnection between rooms. Aerosol transmission through structural defects in floors and walls in this poorly ventilated hotel was the most likely route of virus transmission. This event demonstrates the high transmissibility of Omicron variants, even across rooms and floors, through structural defects. Our findings emphasize the importance of ventilation and integrity of building structure in quarantine facilities.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Taiwan; aerosol transmission; coronavirus disease; quarantine hotel; respiratory infections; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; vaccine-preventable diseases; viruses.