Better buckle, passengers.
A new report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has suggested that the novel coronavirus could be spread on airplanes by asymptomatic carriers.
In the study, seen in the peer-reviewed journal Emerging Infections Diseases, researchers examined evidence of in vivo transmission of COVID-19 by asymptomatic patients because previous data were inconclusive. In-flight transmission by those symptomatic of COVID-19 has meanwhile been well established.
A new report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has suggested that the novel coronavirus could be spread on airplanes by asymptomatic carriers.
(iStock)
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The studied evacuation flight flew from Milan, Italy, to South Korea in late March on an 11-hour journey; 310 passengers were initially scheduled to board, but 11 were denied entry after showing symptoms for COVID-19. Both on the ground and in the air, the flight crew followed strict infection control procedures by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
During the air, all passengers wore N95 respirators, except when eating and using the toilet. Upon arrival in South Korea, the 299 passengers were quarantined for 2 weeks at a government quarantine facility, in complete isolation from each other, where they were frequently examined for symptoms of COVID-19.
On April 2, the first day of the quarantine, six passengers tested positive for COVID-19 and were hospitalized. Two weeks later, the six passengers showed no symptoms of the viral disease and were said to be asymptomatic.
This figure shows the location of the 6 asymptomatic patients and the patient infected thereon on the flight at the end of March.
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
On April 15, the 14th day of the quarantine, a woman who first tested negative after deplaning, and tested positive for the coronavirus. The passenger wore the N95 mask during the entire flight, except when using the toilet, which was shared by nearby passengers – including one who was asymptomatic. The woman who tested positive for COVID-19 on April 15 sat three rows behind the asymptomatic passenger.
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Therefore, the researchers suspect that the woman’s infection was most likely transmitted by contact during the flight.
Ten crew members and eight medical staff of the KCDC were also quarantined for two weeks at the facility and tested for COVID-19 on days 1 and 14 of quarantine; all of the 18 people tested negative for the coronavirus both times.
The investigators also looked at data from another evacuation flight, which traveled from Milan to South Korea on April 3 under the same strict infection control procedures as accompanied by the KCDC.
(iStock)
In further investigation, the investigators looked at data from another evacuation flight, which traveled from Milan to South Korea on April 3 under the same strict infection control procedures as led by the KCDC.
During that journey, three passengers were asymptomatic for COVID-19 and one passenger who tested negative on day 1 of quarantine was also tested positive on day 14 of quarantine.
“On the basis of an epidemiological study, the authors and KCDC suspect that this infection was also transmitted through contact with influenza,” the authors said.
The authors concluded that it remains unclear exactly how the virus was transmitted on the aircraft, suggesting that infected surfaces or infected individuals may have a “critical role” in the transmission of infectious disease and that further investigation was needed.
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“Our findings suggest the following strategies for preventing SARS-CoV-2 transmission on an aircraft,” she wrote. “First, masks must be worn during the flight. Second, because contact with contaminated surfaces increases the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among passengers, hand hygiene is necessary to prevent infections, ‘she wrote.
“Third, physical distance must be maintained before boarding and after boarding the aircraft.”
Close by, the authors argued that “strict global regulations to prevent COVID-19 transmission to aircraft” could help prevent such public health emergencies in the future.
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