[ad_1]
(CNN) – The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have announced new testing requirements for travelers arriving from the UK, but research by the agency’s own scientists shows the rule may have only a small impact. in the spread of the new UK coronavirus strain.
As of Monday in the UK, passengers must have a negative Covid-19 test within three days of boarding a flight to the United States.
A press release from the CDC on Thursday praised the new changes.
“Today, President Trump is taking another step to protect the health of the American people,” according to the statement.
But according to researchers from the CDC’s Covid-19 response team, testing three days before a flight might not accomplish much, reducing the risk of spreading the virus by 5-9%.
Dr. Paul Offit, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Pennsylvania, said the new testing requirement “is like putting up a chain-link fence to keep a mosquito out.”
The CDC order acknowledges that “testing does not eliminate all risks,” but when combined with other measures such as self-management of symptoms, masks and distancing, “they can make travel safer.”
Covid-19 tests often miss recent infections, so someone can test negative and be infected because they are not shedding enough virus to be detected.
“Testing 72 hours before a flight will lose a lot of people,” said Dr Peter Hotez, an infectious disease specialist at Baylor College of Medicine, who noted that the new variant appeared in the UK three months ago and is probably now in the U.S.
On the other hand, tests on the day of departure may be more effective, reducing the risk of transmission by between 37% and 61%, according to the November report by CDC scientists, which is based on mathematical models and not It has been peer reviewed.
Health officials have been eager to reduce the spread of the UK variant, which appears to spread more easily than other strains of coronavirus.
The CDC did not respond to requests for comment for this story.
This story was first published on CNN.com, “CDC’s testing requirements for UK travelers are like ‘a chain-link fence to keep a mosquito out,’ experts say.”
[ad_2]
