It took many countries almost 2 years to resume normal activities. However, such control measures adversely impacted daily life, with consequences such as air travel restrictions, decreased physical activities, restrictions on large social gatherings, and closure of schools and offices. To combat this rapid spread, governments across the globe adopted policies such as mandatory masking in public spaces, quarantining infected individuals, and social distancing to help reduce the risk of airborne transmission. Airborne transmission is recognized as one of the predominant infection pathways 2, 3, hence the rapid infectivity rate and virulent nature of the disease. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) coronavirus causes this disease and is spread through respiratory droplets expelled from infected people during coughing, sneezing, breathing, and speaking. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic which began in December 2019 still plagues countries worldwide, with the World Health Organization reporting over 1.7 million new confirmed cases globally during the first week of January 2023 1. Widespread adoption of such technology could assist public health officials with implementing rapid disease control measures. Our pAQ monitor is suited for point-of-need surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 variants in indoor environments and can be adapted for multiplexed detection of other respiratory pathogens of interest. Laboratory experiments demonstrate a device sensitivity of 77–83% and a limit of detection of 7-35 viral RNA copies/m 3 of air. The wet cyclone showed comparable or better virus sampling performance than commercially available samplers. The system synergistically integrates a high flow (~1000 lpm) wet cyclone air sampler and a nanobody-based ultrasensitive micro-immunoelectrode biosensor. Here, we present a proof-of-concept pathogen Air Quality (pAQ) monitor for real-time (5 min time resolution) direct detection of SARS-CoV-2 aerosols. Offline air sampling techniques for SARS-CoV-2 detection suffer from longer turnaround times and require skilled labor. Real-time surveillance of airborne SARS-CoV-2 virus is a technological gap that has eluded the scientific community since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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