This method had already proven itself for measuring the concentrations of mould, pollen or even bacteria in enclosed spaces. But at the Antibes hospital, biocollectors are now also used to track down the infectious agent responsible for Covid-19. These small boxes, installed on height-adjustable tripods, make it possible to determine whether the virus is present in suspension in the ambient air.
The idea is to “better control the environmental risk during an epidemic”, presents the establishment, whose study on the subject, carried out last year, was published in review Journal of hospital infections.
The virus is also transmitted by airborne
In just five minutes, the system draws in 500 liters of air which pass through a sticky support, the agar. And if it is present, “the virus impacts the material, which is then taken by calibrated and analyzed swab, like a PCR test”, notes the hospital center.
Installed in patient rooms between April 10 and May 6, 2021, the device confirmed that the virus is also transmitted by air. Because it was installed each time at a good distance to “discard a positivity linked to the emission of droplets by the patient who sneezes or speaks”, specifies the hospital again.
“Correct malfunctions concerning ventilation”
But above all, the system opens the way, where it is installed, to new measures to limit the risk of contamination. “This method has allowed us to correct a certain number of malfunctions concerning the ventilation of our premises”, explains Dr Olivier Capeyron, pharmacist-hygienist at the Antibes hospital center.
In particular, it made it possible to verify whether the “air extraction system is well operational and effective, whether in a room when a Covid-19 patient is staying there, or in the reception areas of suspected patients. of Covid-19”, also specify the project managers.
But if the device can help identify care spaces where ventilation can be improved, it would not be its only interest. Thanks to its study, the establishment ensures that the system “can also be used as an alert system”. And in particular “during periods of calm in the epidemic, when a collective relaxation in the observance of barrier gestures may occur”. At the Antibes hospital, biocollectors were used in particular between the last two waves, to secure the meeting rooms.