WHO said it was aware of at least two case studies describing in-flight transmission.
Geneva:
The risk of spreading COVID-19 on flights appears “very low” but cannot be ruled out, despite studies showing only a small number of cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
“In-flight transmission is possible but the risk appears to be very low, given the volume of travelers and the small number of reported cases. The fact that transmission is not widely documented in the published literature does not mean,” WHO said in a statement to Reuters.
The risk characterization echoes the findings of a US Department of Defense study last week that described the likelihood of catching the disease on airliners as “very low.”
However, some airlines have used more robust language to describe the risk of transmission on board.
Southwest Airlines and United Airlines both said recent studies found the risk to be “virtually non-existent”.
Southwest, one of the few airlines that is currently keeping the middle seats vacant, said Thursday that in light of research it would lift the blockage on the middle seats.
Global airlines body IATA said on October 8 that only 44 potential cases of flight-related transmission had been identified among 1.2 billion travelers this year, or one in 27 million passengers.
But the presentation was later challenged by one of the scientists whose research it relied on.
U.S. infectious disease specialist Dr David Freedman said last week he declined to attend an IATA risk briefing because a key claim about the improbability of catching COVID-19 in planes was based on “miscalculations”.
IATA replied that its calculation remained a “relevant and credible” sign of low risk.
The WHO said it was aware of at least two case studies describing in-flight transmission, on flights from London to Hanoi and from Singapore to China.
Sick passengers and people with confirmed exposure to COVID-19 should not be allowed to travel, he said. He added, however, that modern jet ventilation systems can quickly filter out viruses and germs.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
