Coronavirus: Screening for covid-19 symptoms in travelers has been ineffective

COVID-19 :

The fall of the busiest airports in the world 2:03

. – Temperature-based and symptom-based screening programs do not help detect coronavirus cases, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. In a new report, the CDC took a closer look at programs in use at US airports through mid-September.

In January, the CDC launched an enhanced screening program for air passengers arriving from some countries with widespread transmission of the novel coronavirus.

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The goal was to find sick travelers and separate them from other passengers, share information with travelers about self-control, and get their contact details which could be shared with the passenger’s local public health department.

The CDC said it was a resource-intensive program with a low case detection rate.

Between January 17 and September 13, the CDC surveyed more than 766,000 travelers. Nearly 300 met the criteria for public health screening, 35 were tested for coronavirus, and nine tested positive. That means the program identified roughly one case for every 85,000 travelers tested, the CDC reported Thursday in the agency’s weekly report.

Why didn’t this approach to detect covid work?

This style of evaluation doesn’t seem to work for several reasons. Covid-19 exhibits a wide range of specific symptoms common to other infections, there is a large number of asymptomatic cases, travelers can deny symptoms or take steps to avoid detection, and passenger data was limited.

The CDC also shared contact information with local health departments for 68% of passengers screened. There were problems with the data collection, the report said, and some states chose not to receive the information.

The CDC ended the program on September 14th. Instead, they focused on better communication with travelers to promote recommended preventive measures. The agency also improved public health responsiveness at points of entry.

The CDC said travelers and their local communities would be better protected if there was a “more efficient” collection of international air passenger contact details prior to their arrival and real-time data that could be sent to health services. Pre-departure tests within 72 hours of travel and on-arrival tests would be helpful, as well as rules that would encourage the traveler to self-isolate for a set period of time.