Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 arising from international flights arriving in Ireland in December 2020: a descriptive analysis using national surveillance data.
Public Health
; 204: 49-53, 2022 Mar.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35172222
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
There is limited evidence on the risk of in-flight transmission of SARS-CoV-2. This study estimated the extent of in-flight SARS-CoV-2 transmission on international flights arriving in Ireland during December 2020. STUDYDESIGN:
This was a cross-sectional analysis.METHODS:
National surveillance data identified all notified cases of COVID-19 who were infectious while travelling on international flights to Ireland during December 2020. Close contacts of cases were tested for SARS-CoV-2, and the results were collated to estimate the pooled secondary attack rate across all flights. Laboratory and epidemiological data were obtained from the Health Service Executive Covid Care Tracker, a national database of COVID-19 cases in Ireland.RESULTS:
A total of 165 infectious cases of COVID-19 were identified on 134 incoming flights; 40.0% were symptomatic on board. There were 2099 flight close contacts identified, of whom 40.9% had results of a SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction test within 14 days of arrival. The pooled secondary attack rate for these contacts was 7.0% and was higher among those on flights of ≥5-hour duration (P = 0.008). More than half (59.1%) of close contacts had no SARS-CoV-2 test result recorded; the reasons included incorrect or absent contact details (26.5%) and no response when contacted (17.8%).CONCLUSIONS:
In this national study investigating transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from international flights arriving into Ireland, the pooled secondary attack rate was 7.0%. International travel is likely to have contributed to the third wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Ireland in early 2021. Application of non-pharmaceutical interventions remains central to mitigating the risk of in-flight transmission.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
SARS-CoV-2
/
COVID-19
Tipo de estudio:
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
/
Screening_studies
Límite:
Humans
País como asunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Año:
2022
Tipo del documento:
Article