The recent biological safety level recommendations from the CDC and NIH to reduce the SARS-CoV-2 risk group biosafety levels (BSLs) prompted the University of Washington Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) to review biosafety levels.
The IBC approved BSL-2 for most SARS-CoV-2 research at the University of Washington and many of the occupational health requirements have been removed except for a requirement to offer the COVID vaccine to personnel who work with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The COVID-19 Research Biosafety webpage will be updated with these changes.
Summary of Required Biosafety Levels for Work with SARS-CoV-2
| Virus, specimen, or sample type | Biosafety level (BSL) | Agent listing on BUA letter | Occupational health requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| SARS-CoV-2 in vitro and in vivo experiments |
BSL-2 (or higher depending on genetic modifications) |
SARS-CoV-2 | Requirement to offer the COVID vaccine |
| Clinical samples from COVID patients | BSL-2 | Human source material | None |
| SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid and fixed or inactivated samples | BSL-1 | Not required to be listed | None |
Certain experiments, such as those involving genetic modifications or other specific manipulations, may require BSL-3. Additionally, any deliberately manipulated SARS-CoV/SARS-CoV-2 chimeras with nucleic acids coding for SARS-CoV virulence factors are select agents and must comply with applicable select agent regulations.
Biological Use Authorization (BUA) Updates
BUA approval by Environmental Health & Safety and the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) is still required for any research with SARS-CoV-2.
- To initiate research with SARS-CoV-2, submit a BUA application or BUA change.
- To make changes to current SARS-CoV-2 work, submit a BUA change to update the approved biosafety level and work locations.
Questions?
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact EH&S Biological Safety.