1. Potential transmission of SARS-CoV-2 on a flight from Singapore to Hanghzou, China: An epidemiological investigation
- Author
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Yan Liu, Junfang Chen, Wanwan Sun, Chengliang Chai, Jinna Wang, Qingxin Kong, Enfu Chen, Zhou Sun, Jiaqi Zhang, Song Guo, Hanqing He, Xuguang Shi, Zhiping Chen, and Wei Cheng
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,China ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ,Pneumonia, Viral ,030231 tropical medicine ,Attack rate ,Outbreak investigation ,Article ,Disease Outbreaks ,law.invention ,Betacoronavirus ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,law ,Environmental health ,Epidemiology ,Pandemic ,Humans ,Medicine ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Asymptomatic Infections ,Pandemics ,Singapore ,SARS-CoV-2 ,business.industry ,Masks ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Outbreak ,COVID-19 ,Middle Aged ,Infectious Diseases ,Transmission (mechanics) ,Travel-associated infections ,Female ,Coronavirus Infections ,Travel-Related Illness ,business ,Air travel - Abstract
Background Between January 24, 2020 and February 15, 2020, an outbreak of COVID-19 occurred among 335 passengers on a flight from Singapore to Hangzhou in China. This study aimed to investigate the source of the outbreak and assess the risk of transmission of COVID-19 during the flight. Method Using a standardized questionnaire, we collected information on the travelers’ demographic characteristics and illness before, during, and after the flight. We also collected data on factors potentially associated with COVID-19 transmission during the flight. Results A total of 16 COVID-19 patients were diagnosed among all passengers; the overall attack rate was 4.8%. The attack rate among passengers who had departed from Wuhan was significantly higher than that among those who had departed from other places. One passenger without an epidemiological history of exposure before boarding developed COVID-19. During the flight, he was seated near four infected passengers from Wuhan for approximately an hour and did not wear his facemask correctly during the flight. Conclusions COVID-19 transmission may have occurred during the flight. However, the majority of the cases in the flight-associated outbreak could not be attributed to transmission on the flight but were associated with exposure to the virus in Wuhan or to infected members in a single tour group., Highlights • SARS-CoV-2 transmission, especially during flight, was of global concern. • An outbreak of COVID-19 among passengers on a flight was investigated. • There appears to have been limited transmission of COVID-19 to one person on board the flight based on the epidemiological findings.
- Published
- 2020