COVID-19 has been shown to spread on airplanes, even among asymptomatic travelers, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The study, published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, found evidence of transfer on an evacuation flight from Milan, Italy, to Seoul, South Korea in late March.
Before boarding, about 300 passengers were examined for virus symptoms and given an N95 mask, investigators said.
When the passengers arrived, they were quarantined by the government for two weeks and regularly tested, according to the study.
Six of the travelers – who were asymptomatic – tested positive at the start of the quarantine, researchers said.
On the last day of the quarantine, a seventh passenger tested positive, despite previously negative results, the report said.
The passenger – who was sitting in three rows for asymptomatic travelers – had been wearing her N95 mask for the entire duration of the flight, except to use the bathroom.
Investigators determined that the same toilet was used by at least one of the infected travelers.
They concluded that it was “very likely” that they caught the virus from the evacuation flight.
“Given that she did not go outside and was quarantined for 3 weeks alone in her house in Italy and did not use public transport to get to the airport, it is very likely that her infection was transmitted during the flight via indirect contact. with an asymptomatic patient, ”researchers wrote.
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