en ميكروبیولوژی Microbiology پژوهشي Research <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:normal"><span sans-serif="" style="font-family:Calibri,"><b><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><span style="color:#2f5496">Background & Objectives:</span></span></span></u></b> <span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times="">Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a <strong>profound</strong> impact on human health, with over 704,753,890 confirmed cases and 7,010,681 deaths reported to date. This study aimed to evaluate the contamination rate of COVID-19 on high-risk surfaces at Valiasr Hospital in Fasa, Iran, using molecular testing.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:normal"><span sans-serif="" style="font-family:Calibri,"><b><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><span style="color:#2f5496">Materials & Methods:</span></span></span></u></b> <span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times="">A total of 142 surface swabs, <strong>immersed in viral transport medium (VTM),</strong> were collected and transported to the Virology Reference Laboratory at the Cohort Center of Fasa University of Medical Sciences for COVID-19 virus testing. The presence of the virus was assessed using the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) technique (QIAquant 96 5plex), <strong>following</strong> the manufacturer&rsquo;s protocol (Qiagen, MD, USA).</span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:normal"><span sans-serif="" style="font-family:Calibri,"><b><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><span style="color:#2f5496">Results:</span></span></span></u></b> <span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times="">Among the 142 samples obtained from surfaces and equipment in the COVID-19 ward, two samples tested positive for COVID-19. Similarly, two samples from the coronavirus isolation ward were <strong>found to be positive</strong> using RT-qPCR. The positive samples were collected from a patient&rsquo;s bed and the interior bed of an insulated room. No COVID-19 contamination was detected on hospital surface samples outside these areas.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:normal"><span sans-serif="" style="font-family:Calibri,"><b><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><span style="color:#2f5496">Conclusion:</span></span></span></u></b> <span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times="">This study identified a low rate of COVID-19 contamination on hospital surfaces and equipment in Fasa city. The findings suggest that the hospital environment could serve as a potential source of COVID-19 transmission, particularly among healthcare providers, visitors, and patients.</span><b><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><span style="color:#2f5496"></span></span></span></u></b></span></span></span></div> Coronavirus Disease 2019, Molecular diagnosis, Contamination, Hospital environment 310 318 http://jabs.fums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1709-20&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Ali Ghanbariasad علی قنبری اسد 100319475328460029344 100319475328460029344 No Department of Medical Biotechnology, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran گروه بیوتکنولوژی پزشکی، دانشگاه علوم پزشکی فسا، فسا، ایران Abdolmajid Ghasemian عبدالمجید قاسمیان majidghasemian86@gmail.com 100319475328460029345 100319475328460029345 No Noncommunicable Diseases Research Center, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran مرکز تحقیقات بیماری‌های غیرواگیر، دانشگاه علوم پزشکی فسا، فسا، ایران Yaser Mansoori یاسر منصوری 100319475328460029346 100319475328460029346 No Department of Medical Genetic, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran گروه ژنتیک پزشکی، دانشگاه علوم پزشکی فسا، فسا، ایران Zahra Montaseri زهرا منتصری 100319475328460029347 100319475328460029347 No Noncommunicable Diseases Research Center, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran Navid Alinejad نوید علی نژاد navidalinejad@yahoo.com 100319475328460029348 100319475328460029348 Yes Department of Public Health, School of Health, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran گروه بهداشت، دانشکده بهداشت، دانشگاه علوم پزشکی فسا، فسا، ایران Mohammad Doustan محمد دوستان 100319475328460029349 100319475328460029349 No Student Research Committee, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran کمیته تحقیقات دانشجویی، دانشگاه علوم پزشکی فسا، فسا، ایران Ramin Hayati رامین حیاتی 100319475328460029350 100319475328460029350 No Department of Public Health, School of Health, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran گروه بهداشت، دانشکده بهداشت، دانشگاه علوم پزشکی فسا، فسا، ایران