COVID-19 is a viral illness caused by a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus
2 (SARS-CoV-2). It is highly contagious virus with human-to-human transmission being
primarily attributed to direct contact or air droplets. It is highly infectious and
contagious due to high-viable viral loads in the upper respiratory tract secretions
of infected patients and also similar viral load being detected in both asymptomatic
and symptomatic patients. The virus stability characteristics and modes of transmission
via fomites and air droplets make gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy a high-risk procedure
for COVID-19 transmission. This review discusses the currently available literature
on risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during GI endoscopy.
Keywords
endoscopy - coronavirus - air droplets - fomites - pneumonia