long flights covid

Dr. Khanh is an epidemiologist at the Department of Communicable Diseases Control, National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology. SARS-CoV-2 Superspread in Fitness Center, Hong Kong, China, March 2021, Persistence of SARS-CoV-2–Specific IgG in Children 6 Months After Infection, Australia, Worksite Outbreaks of COVID-19, Los Angeles County, https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.28.20040097v1.full.pdf, https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports, https://www.iata.org/contentassets/5c8786230ff34e2da406c72a52030e95/safely-restart-aviation-joint-aci-iata-approach.pdf, https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_1035, https://www.vietnam-briefing.com/news/covid-19-vietnam-travel-updates-restrictions.html, https://moh.gov.vn/web/dich-benh/huong-dan-chuyen-mon/-/asset_publisher/NxZAa8ST2KXb/content/quyet-inh-so-343-q-byt-ngay-07-02-2020-ve-viec-ban-hanh-huong-dan-tam-thoi-giam-sat-va-phong-chong-benh-viem-uong-ho-hap-cap-do-chung-moi-cua-vi-rut-c, https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/transmission-of-sars-cov-2-implications-for-infection-prevention-precautions, https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200327-sitrep-67-covid-19.pdf?sfvrsn=b65f68eb_4, https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/pr/2020-05-05-01/, https://www.iata.org/contentassets/4cb32e19ff544df590f3b70179551013/roadmap-safely-restarting-aviation.pdf, https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/331488, Transmission of SARS-CoV 2 During Long-Haul Flight, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Khanh N, Thai P, Quach H, Thi N, Dinh P, Duong T, et al. Your face covering must be worn and visible at all times, including if you plan to sleep. In early March 2020, there was no evidence of community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Vietnam (18). Operating hours for clubs that remain open may change based on flight schedules. Basic Economy fares bought on or after April 1, 2021 are non-refundable and non-changeable. Seating proximity was strongly associated with increased infection risk (risk ratio 7.3, 95% CI 1.2–46.2). Investigation Team. Travel requirements are updated often, so we recommend checking the latest entry requirements before your trip. Flight VN54 departed London at 11:10 am local time on March 1, 2020, and arrived in Hanoi at 5:20 am local time on March 2; the nonstop flight lasted about 10 hours. Among persons in business class, the attack rate was 62% (13/21). Emerg Infect Dis. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) requires all passengers flying to the U.S., including U.S. citizens, show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 3 days of departure, or documentation of recovery. Second, long flights not only can lead to importation of COVID-19 cases but also can provide conditions for superspreader events. Third, our assessment of passengers’ preflight exposure to other confirmed cases relied on interviews only. Long haul low-cost has revolutionised air travel in recent years but profits were elusive and COVID-19 poses huge challenges, says Brendan Sobie. Thai, T.-T. Nguyen), Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia (H.-L. Quach, N.-A. CLEVELAND, Ohio — Airlines say that the likelihood of in-flight transmission of COVID-19 is low. Her signs and symptoms (fever, sore throat, fatigue, and shortness of breath) progressed further after arrival, and she self-isolated at her private residence in Hanoi and had contact with household personnel only. We found no strong evidence supporting alternative transmission scenarios. Evidence of airborne transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome virus. “The risk for on-board transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during long flights is real. U.S. federal law requires that you wear a face covering from the time you enter the airport where your trip begins, on board your flight, and until you leave the airport where your trip ends. While limited quantities of face coverings may be available at the gate, they will not be available for every customer on every flight. Contact with case 1 might also have occurred outside the airplane at the airport, in particular among business class passengers in the predeparture lounge area or during boarding. We defined confirmed flight-associated COVID-19 cases as passengers or crew members on flight VN54, regardless whether signs or symptoms developed, who had positive SARS-CoV-2 real-time reverse transcription PCR results from nasopharyngeal swab samples (13). Unfortunately, many of the restrictions will result in flight cancellations, potential quarantines or COVID-19 testing upon arrival, and/or temperature checks upon landing. Similarly, for case 4, who reported having visited India before the United Kingdom during his incubation period, the possibility of preflight transmission remains slim because by March 1, only 3 cases of COVID-19 had been reported in India, although testing in India was still limited (20–22). This does not apply to children under 2 years old. *Change fees apply if your original ticketed travel was before March 1, 2020, Basic Economy tickets with travel before March 1, 2020 are non-changeable. It has been hypothesized that a combination of environmental factors on airplanes (humidity, temperature, air flow) can prolong the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in flight cabins (27). This policy change eliminated the need for resource-intensive contact tracing of flight passengers altogether and enabled detection of another 106 cases among »5,000 passengers on 44 flights until all international flights were halted on March 28. seq) you must contact us at least 72 hours before you plan to travel and travel with documentation confirming a negative COVID test or recovery. On March 5, she sought care at a local hospital in Hanoi, where an oropharyngeal swab sample was taken and tested; SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed by real-time reverse transcription PCR on March 6. Khanh, N., Thai, P., Quach, H., Thi, N., Dinh, P., Duong, T....Anh, D. (2020). Blocking middle seats, currently recommended by the airline industry (7,35), may in theory prevent some in-flight transmission events but seems to be insufficient to prevent superspreading events. Our findings call for tightened screening and infection prevention measures by public health authorities, regulators, and the airline industry, especially in countries where substantial transmission is ongoing (37). On February 22, case 1 and her sister returned to Milan, Italy, and subsequently traveled to Paris, France, for the yearly Fashion Week before returning back to London on February 25. All travel for your new trip must be completed by March 31, 2022. Detection of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) by real-time RT-PCR. Temporary changes to food and drink service, Domestic, short-haul international and select long-haul international flights, New international travel originating outside of North or South America. Keep in mind, you may owe any difference in ticket price if the fare of your new trip is higher when you rebook. In-depth interviews were conducted with all persons with suspected or confirmed flight-associated cases; the specific focus was detecting any potential SARS-CoV-2 transmission events before and after the flight to investigate potential alternative scenarios for transmission other than during the flight. First cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in France: surveillance, investigations and control measures, January 2020. Of the 12 additional cases in business class, symptoms subsequently developed in 8 (67%); median symptom onset was 8.8 days (interquartile range 5.8–13.5) after arrival (Figure 2). Second, we lacked detailed data on activities of the cases while on board (e.g., movements or seat changes, use of toilets, or sharing meals), which might have enabled us to pinpoint the precise route of transmission. However, given the logistic and economic implications of such policies, developing a quick and reliable point-of-care test that covers the entire infectious period remains paramount. For example, airline crew often use business class toilets while on board, which might explain the case among the crew serving in economy class, for whom no other potential source of infection could be established. *This is a narrow exception that includes a person with a disability who cannot wear a mask for reasons related to the disability. Khanh N, Thai P, Quach H, et al. Among passengers seated within 2 meters from case 1, which we approximated in business class to be <2 seats away, 11 (92%) were SARS-CoV-2–positive compared with 1 (13%) located >2 seats away (risk ratio 7.3, 95% CI 1.2–46.2) (Table 2). However, all persons with flight-associated cases departed from the United Kingdom (none transited from other countries); and until the departure date of flight VN54, only 23 COVID-19 cases had been recorded in the United Kingdom. Here's how they're dealing with COVID-19 guidelines. Passengers and crew had traveled on to 15 provinces in Vietnam, ranging from Lao Cai and Cao Bang in the north to Kien Giang in the south. Original Publication Date: September 18, 2020. We acknowledge important contributions and guidelines from the following committee and institutions: Vietnam National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Science and Technology, and National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology. Hawaiian Airline’s latest information on travel updates, travel waivers, and flight suspensions related to the COVID-19. Transmission and control of an emerging influenza pandemic in a small-world airline network. No more change fees for all domestic, short-haul international and select long-haul international flying on Premium Cabin, Premium Economy and Main Cabin fares. In January 2020, no secondary cases were detected after a 15-hour flight to Canada with a symptomatic person with COVID-19 on board (29), although contact tracing and monitoring were limited (30). Opens another site in a new window that may not meet accessibility guidelines. Message not sent. Please enable JavaScript to fully experience this site. Among the 217 passengers and crew members on a direct flight from London to Hanoi in early March 2020, we identified a cluster of 16 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases. 17) (18). Transmission of SARS-CoV 2 During Long-Haul Flight. If you refuse to wear one, you may be denied boarding and future travel on American. Epidemiologic and clinical timeline for passengers on Vietnam Airlines flight 54, from London, UK, to Hanoi, Vietnam, March 2, 2020, for whom SARS-CoV-2 infection was later confirmed. What worried me more were the long flights to get there: about 17 hours from New York, with a layover required somewhere. "We conclude that the risk for on-board transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during long flights is real and has the potential to cause COVID-19 clusters of substantial size, even in business class–like settings with spacious seating arrangements well beyond the established distance used to define close contact on airplanes," the authors said. Duong, L.T.Q. Transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome on aircraft. Figure 1. The IATA's Powell reports encouraging data about the risk of virus transmission on flights. Saving Lives, Protecting People, National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Hanoi, Vietnam (N.C. Khanh, P.Q. These rules do not apply to children under 2, or if you have a disability that prevents you from wearing a face covering and meet the exemption requirements. The timing of last contact of the remaining 2 confirmed close contacts with their respective flight-associated cases suggests that infection of the flight-associated cases occurred at the same time and that time of infection coincided with the time of the flight (Appendix). Fly standby for free on earlier domestic flights, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, to the same destination on the same day. Any symptomatic person was isolated immediately until the test result was received. Of the 15 persons with flight-associated cases, 12 (80%) had traveled in business class with case 1, and 2 travelers (cases 14 and 15) and 1 flight attendant (case 16) had been in economy class (Figure 1). When Rwanda decided to reopen its borders on August 1, ... What to consider before taking an international flight during the coronavirus … We also eliminated change fees for First, Business, Premium Economy and Main Cabin tickets for all long-haul international flights originating in North or South America for tickets issued on or after November 19, 2020. Guidelines, law, and governance: disconnects in the global control of airline-associated infectious diseases. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. Fourth, we had no data available on individual passenger use of face masks while on board, which would have enabled a more refined risk analysis. Our case investigations supplemented by information obtained from media reports indicated that she had traveled to Italy on February 18 with her sister, who was later confirmed to be SARS-CoV-2–positive in London, and back to London on February 20 to stay with her sister for another 2 nights. We’ve temporarily closed and consolidated premium clubs and lounges. "Long flights not only can lead to importation of COVID-19 cases but also can provide conditions for superspreader events," significant findings show as countries resume international travel. In-flight transmission that probably originated from 1 symptomatic passenger caused a large cluster of cases during a long flight. 2These last authors contributed equally to this article. Our objectives were to estimate the probability that transmission of SARS-CoV-2 occurred on the flight in question and to identify risk factors associated with transmission. You should bring your own face covering to use while traveling. Due to the increased flight changes, we’ve stopped checking pets for now. If you buy Basic Economy fares you may now buy extras like upgrades, seats, priority boarding and same-day flight changes. Opens another site in a new window that may not meet accessibility guidelines. The business class was exclusively reserved and separated from the premium economy and economy classes by a service/toilet area (Figure 1). Similar results with similar limitations have been reported from flights arriving in France (31,32) and Thailand (33) in January and February. Early transmission patterns of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in travellers from Wuhan to Thailand, January 2020. Anh), Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi (P.Q. Rationale for universal face masks in public against COVID-19. The form can also be completed in the VeriFly app. Keep in mind, if you cannot show proof of a negative test or documentation of recovery, you cannot fly and won’t be allowed to board the plane. Please use the form below to submit correspondence to the authors or contact them at the following address: Cong-Khanh Nguyen, Department of Communicable Diseases Control, National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, 1 Yersin St, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam. Transmission of SARS-CoV 2 During Long-Haul Flight. We subsequently launched an extensive epidemiologic investigation that involved testing and isolation/quarantine of all traceable passengers and crew members of the identified flight. *Basic Economy fares on flights marketed by American Airlines. Domestic, short-haul international and select long-haul international flights This content can be expanded Domestic and short-haul international flights We eliminated all change fees for First, Business, Premium Economy and Main Cabin tickets for all domestic and short-haul international flying for tickets issued on or after August 31, 2020. During the first 6 months of 2020, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spread to almost all countries and infected »4 million persons worldwide (1). Covid-19 could lead to a surge in 'ultra-long haul' flights. The new change fee policy also applies to AAdvantage® award tickets. You’re allowed to change your origin and destination cities as part of this offer. My first airplane ride after 10 months was a long-haul flight on Cathay Pacific. If your new flight is less expensive, you’ll get the fare difference in the form of travel credit to use on a future trip. Of note, the temporal sequence of symptom onset among cases in economy class and the crew member serving in economy class also allows for the possibility of a second in-flight transmission event, independent of the cluster in business class (Figure 2). Opens another site in a new window that may not meet accessibility guidelines. Our findings have several implications for international air travel, especially because several countries have resumed air travel despite ongoing SARS-CoV-2 transmission. 1These first authors contributed equally to this article. Making mask wearing obligatory and making hand hygiene and cough etiquette standard practice while on board and at airports seems an obvious and relatively simple measure (27). General Information Travel restriction Customer notification: Taking care of you. Also, systematic testing, quarantine policies, or both, for inbound passengers at arrival might be justified for countries with low levels of community transmission, high risk for case importation, and limited contact tracing capacity (5). Comment submitted successfully, thank you for your feedback. In early March, when much of the global community was just beginning to recognize the severity of the pandemic, we detected a cluster of COVID-19 cases among passengers arriving on the same flight from London, UK, to Hanoi, Vietnam, on March 2 (Vietnam Airlines flight 54 [VN54]). The incubation periods for all persons with confirmed flight-associated cases overlapped with the timing of the flight (Figure 2). Our interviews did not reveal that any of the additional persons with flight-associated cases had been exposed to SARS-CoV-2 before or after the flight during their incubation periods other than having taken the same flight as case 1, nor did they suggest exposure for any of the 4 travel companion couples after the flight (Appendix). Identification and monitoring of international travelers during the initial phase of an outbreak of COVID-19—California, February 3–March 17, 2020. Adopting a set of well established infection prevention and control measures will help minimise the risk of contracting COVID during a flight. This finding also concurs with transmission patterns observed for influenza virus (38) and is generally in line with the mounting evidence that airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is a major yet underrecognized transmission route (39,40). No evidence indicated that the regular air conditioning and exchange system on flight VN54 were malfunctioning. During those three weeks, Emirates had five flights with seven or more infected passengers on each flight, for a total of 58 coronavirus-positive passengers flying on eight-hour trips. All 12 additional cases in business class met the definition of probable secondary cases. In-flight transmission has been hypothesized but not substantiated sufficiently in a non–peer-reviewed report of a cluster of 10 flight-associated cases in China in February (N. Yang et al., unpub. Travelers originating in the U.S. and taking an international roundtrip flight can order an at-home, virtually guided COVID-19 antigen test to take with them for their return flight back to the U.S. Quang). Although testing had not been implemented on a large scale nationwide at that time (19), community transmission in the United Kingdom was not yet widely established (20), making the presence of multiple persons on board incubating the illness unlikely. Probable aircraft transmission of Covid-19 in-flight from the Central African Republic to France. You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link. We thank healthcare workers from provincial Centers for Disease Control and local authorities from cities and provinces in Vietnam for their great work with case finding, contact tracing, disease control, and prevention measures. First, we did not have genomic sequencing data available to support our hypothesis of in-flight transmission. Staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from getting sick. How to enable JavaScript. In September, two other international studies came … By March 10, all 16 (100%) of the flight crew and 168 (84%) of the passengers who remained in Vietnam had been traced; 33 (16%) passengers had already transited to other countries. At that time, 1,593 persons had tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 infection in Vietnam, and according to official policy at that time, another 10,089 contacts and travelers returning from COVID-19–affected areas overseas were under preemptive quarantine directly at the time of arrival. Requirement for face masks on planes and in airports The forms can be printed, digital, or uploaded to the VeriFly app. CDC recommendations for face coverings Last, given the delay between arrival and confirmation of the probable index case, no environmental samples could be collected from the airplane.

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