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Do plexiglass barriers reduce the risk for transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 November 2021

Jennifer L. Cadnum
Affiliation:
Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Vetarans’ Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Annette L. Jencson
Affiliation:
Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Vetarans’ Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Curtis J. Donskey*
Affiliation:
Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio
*
Author for correspondence: Curtis J. Donskey, E-mail: Curtis.Donskey@va.gov

Abstract

Barriers are commonly installed in workplace situations where physical distancing cannot be maintained, but their effectiveness in decreasing viral transmission is unknown. In simulations, physical barriers with no openings were effective in reducing contamination with an aerosolized benign virus or fluorescent microspheres, but barriers with openings were not.

Type
Concise Communication
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

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