Context
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted the need of health-care workers to be able to protect themselves from infection with the use of personal protection equipment (PPE). The guidelines were clear for workers in direct contact with infected patients. However, the lack of understanding of aerosolization during the decontamination process of potentially contaminated material, was a concerning issue for sterile processing department (SPD) personnel.
Detecting the presence of aerosolized SARS-CoV-2 in areas where acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) droplets could be generated became key. It was necessary to identify the appropriate protective measures to prevent further cross-contamination. For this purpose, the Coriolis µ was used to collect air samples in COVID-19 intensive care units (ICUs) and SPD from two teaching tertiary hospitals in Brazil.
