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IMAGE: This schematic shows some of the location where SARS-CoV-2's genetic signature was detected in the intensive care unit (ICU) and other hospital rooms.
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Credit: UC San Diego Health Sciences
Watching what was happening around the world in early 2020, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers knew their region would likely soon be hit with a wave of patients with COVID-19, the infection caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. They wondered how the virus persists on surfaces, particularly in hospitals, and they knew they had only a small window of time to get started if they wanted to capture a snapshot of the "before" situation -- before patients with the infection were admitted.