Testing of Worn Face Masks for Timely Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in Hemodialysis Patients
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is primarily transmitted through aerosolized droplets.1 Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) exhale SARS-CoV-2 RNA copies at a rate of 103 to 105 per minute.2 In the United States, in-center hemodialysis patients and staff are mandated to wear face masks while staying in the dialysis clinic. Previously, face mask sampling was applied to patients with common cold symptoms.3 Recently, a novel method was described to detect exhaled SARS-CoV-2 by using special sampling strips attached to the inside of a duck-billed mask.4 We tested the hypothesis that assaying masks worn by in-center hemodialysis patients for SARS-CoV-2 RNA could provide an opportunity to identify infected subjects.
