Don't Forget the Fomites as Face-to-Face Care Ramps Up

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Medscape Medical News

June 19, 2020

Don't Forget the Fomites as Face-to-Face Care Ramps Up

Quote

...Lessells and colleagues found no evidence that aerosol transmission — which might have been inhibited by masks and distancing — contributed to the outbreak. Rather, it spread principally from hand-to-hand contact and from high-touch shared items of equipment, such as thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, and stethoscopes.

The authors noted that although SARS‐CoV‐2 can be highly stable on certain surfaces, particularly plastic and stainless steel, it responds to standard disinfection techniques.

"The main lesson learned is that, as we should know, infection prevention and control [IPC] involves a hierarchy of measures, including administrative, environmental, and personal protective equipment, and that personal protective equipment in itself is not a substitute for weak infection prevention and control systems and practices," Lessells told Medscape Medical News. "This virus spreads very easily and quickly in a healthcare environment and will exploit any gap or weakness in your IPC."

Don't Forget the Fomites as Face-to-Face Care Ramps Up