SARS-CoV-2: Outline, Prevention, and Decontamination

Abstract

The new coronavirus began to spread around the world in late 2019. Initially, it was found only in China, but in the following days there were reported cases of infections in other countries. Subsequently, based on taxonomy, phylogeny, and accepted practice, the virus was officially designated as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). As a result of the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 in different countries around the world, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a status change in the disease caused by this coronavirus—from an epidemic to a pandemic disease. Although the world is taking unprecedented efforts to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the number of confirmed cases is rising. Therefore, effective preventive measures are needed in order to limit the spread of illness. The prevention measures are mainly based on information on the virus transmission routes, its environmental stability, and persistence on commonly touched surfaces. Social distancing, mask usage, and good hygiene practice are the most important recommendations for general public. Healthcare professionals who are directly involved in SARS-CoV-2 patients care are more exposed to virus infection and additional protection measures are necessary, including protective suits, aprons, face shields, goggles, and gloves. Due to the stability of SARS-CoV-2 on different surfaces, such as glass, paper, or wood, proper disinfection is crucial. Several studies have shown that despite the virus’s stability, it is sensitive to various disinfectants, such as ethanol, isopropanol, sodium hypochlorite, or hydrogen peroxide. These findings underline the importance of having comprehensive knowledge about SARS-CoV-2 and multidirectional strategies in order to limit the spread of the virus. This review is a summary of the most important information about SARS-CoV-2, such as its stability on different surfaces, protection strategies, and decontamination options.

Theoretical effectiveness of steam inhalation against SARS-CoV-2 infection: updates on clinical trials, mechanism of actions, and traditional approaches

“…Thus, owing to the thermolability of SARS-CoV-2, it has been hypothesized that steam inhalation therapy at 55–65 °C, if implemented shortly after contamination, could feasibly minimize the possibility of severe infection development by abating infection in the mucosa of upper airways ( la Marca et al., 2021 ). Hence, the systematic application of the therapy was suggestive since contamination mostly occurs unsuspectingly ( Janik et al., 2021 ). However, till now, no study reveals the temperature, humidity, and time necessary to cause the specific deactivation of SAR-CoV-2 in vivo ( Cohen, 2020 ).…”

Inactivation and Elimination of SARS-CoV-2 in Biosamples Using Simple Fixatives and Ultrafiltration

“…Ultrafiltration methods using membrane-filter devices have been reported previously to concentrate viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 various sample types [8,9,[14][15][16]. In those studies, Amicon ® Ultra-15 with a 30 kDa MWCO centrifugal filter device was used to concentrate the virus by centrifugation at 4500× g for 10 min at 4 • C. However, in our assays, we found a significant number of SARS-CoV-2 present in the filtrate after passing through filters with an MWCO of 30 kDa, 10 kDa and even 5 kDa (Table 1).…”

Cross-species virus transmission and its pandemic potential

“…A comprehensive understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 infection, spread and multidirectional strategies can restrict the spread of the virus. Janik et al ( 2021 ) have provided the most important information about SARS-CoV-2, such as its stability on different surfaces, protection strategies and decontamination options. The current COVID-19 pandemic is very similar to Spanish, Hong Kong, Asian and swine influenza pandemics as they all spread by the mobilization of people (Akin and Gozel 2020 ).…”