Comprehensive surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces in a public hospital in Mexico: a critical step towards ensuring public health safety: SARS-Cov-2 on hospital surfaces

Abstract

This study aimed to ascertain the presence of SARS-CoV-2 on various surfaces within a hospital in Mexico. A systematic approach involving nine weekly visits was employed, during which surface samples were meticulously collected. RNA extraction was conducted using the viral RNA mini kit (Qiagen), followed by SARS-CoV-2 identification by real time RT-PCR. The results indicated that the positive samples were from COVID-19 area all from bed rails (38.8 %, n = 7) of 18 surface samples analyzed. These findings underscore the significant risk posed by hospital surfaces, particularly bed rails, highlighting them as critical points for infection surveillance.