Objectives: Prolonged survival of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on environmental surfaces and personal protective equipment may lead to these surfaces transmitting this pathogen to others. We sought to determine the effectiveness of a pulsed-xenon ultraviolet (PX-UV) disinfection system in reducing the load of SARS-CoV-2 on hard surfaces and N95 respirators. Methods: Chamber slides and N95 respirator material were directly inoculated with SARS-CoV-2 and were exposed to different durations of PX-UV. Results: For hard surfaces, disinfection for 1, 2, and 5 minutes resulted in 3.53 log 10 , >4.54 log 10 , and >4.12 log 10 reductions in viral load, respectively. For N95 respirators, disinfection for 5 minutes resulted in >4.79 log 10 reduction in viral load. PX-UV significantly reduced SARS-CoV-2 on hard surfaces and N95 respirators. Conclusion: With the potential to rapidly disinfectant environmental surfaces and N95 respirators, PX-UV devices are a promising technology to reduce environmental and personal protective equipment bioburden and to enhance both healthcare worker and patient safety by reducing the risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2.
【초록키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, Personal protective equipment, coronavirus, risk, healthcare worker, patient safety, survival, pathogen, Viral load, ultraviolet, Effectiveness, Prolonged, Respirator, N95 respirators, acute respiratory syndrome, chamber, ENhance, log, significantly, inoculated, reduced, determine, reducing, reductions in, reduce, reduction in, 【제목키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, ultraviolet,