Addendum for Ann Fam Med. 2021;19(5):405-410

doi:10.1370/afm.2780

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RE:
Brian K. Kerley

Published on: 26 January 2022

Published on: (26 January 2022)
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RE:
Brian K. Kerley, MD, Niagara North Family Health Team
We thank our colleague Allison Yan for her helpful letter and are pleased she has found our protocol both useful and practical.  Indeed, the protocol described in our article was developed in the very early months of the pandemic, in the spring of 2020.  At that time, high emphasis was placed on the possibility of fomite transmission and droplet transmission (vs. aerosol transmission) of Covid-19, and our original protocol reflected this.  Both of these premises, however, have been called into question as the pandemic has evolved.  Fomite transmission has been de-emphasized[1][2], and many authors have theorized that airborne transmission via aerosol is more common than originally thought. [3][4]This has implications for both the procedures in the protocol and the type of PPE needing to be worn.  In light of this, we have revised our protocol (see Table linked in article).

Brian Kerley, Lana Tan, Denise Marshall, Cindy O’Neill, Anne Bialachowski and José Pereira

...
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We thank our colleague Allison Yan for her helpful letter and are pleased she has found our protocol both useful and practical.  Indeed, the protocol described in our article was developed in the very early months of the pandemic, in the spring of 2020.  At that time, high emphasis was placed on the possibility of fomite transmission and droplet transmission (vs. aerosol transmission) of Covid-19, and our original protocol reflected this.  Both of these premises, however, have been called into question as the pandemic has evolved.  Fomite transmission has been de-emphasized[1][2], and many authors have theorized that airborne transmission via aerosol is more common than originally thought. [3][4]This has implications for both the procedures in the protocol and the type of PPE needing to be worn.  In light of this, we have revised our protocol (see Table linked in article).

Brian Kerley, Lana Tan, Denise Marshall, Cindy O’Neill, Anne Bialachowski and José Pereira

[1]Onakpoya, I et al:  SARS-CoV-2 and the role of fomite transmission: a systematic review.

F1000Res. 2021 Mar 24;10:233. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.51590.3. eCollection 2021.PMID: 34136133

[2]Goldman, E:  Exaggerated risk of transmission of COVID-19 by fomites.Lancet Infect Dis. 2020 Aug;20(8):892-893. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30561-2. Epub 2020 Jul 3.PMID: 32628907

[3]Tang, JW et al: Dismantling Myths on the Airborne Transmission of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2).  J Hosp. Infect. 2021 Apr;110:89-96.

doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2020.12.022.Epub 2021 Jan 13.

[4]https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2021/11/statement-from-the-chief-public-health-officer-of-canada-on-november-12-2021.html

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Competing Interests: None declared.