Problems with coveted flight tests

“This is important for the industry,” says Nick Careen, senior vice president of the International Air Transport Association, which represents 290 airlines in 120 countries. “We have to start flying now. Border restrictions need to be removed or we will start to see more airlines fail. ”

But there are already problems and concerns with travel-related evidence. According to a scientific study of the incident published in November by the Institute of Environmental Sciences and administered by the government, two passengers with negative tests of Covid-19 infected five more people on the same 18-hour trip in September from Dubai to Auckland , New Zealand. Research, based in Wellington.

False negative proof certificates are already on sale. Experts and countries do not agree on the amount of testing and the type of testing that needs to be done to cross borders.

“A negative test is a test in one moment. It doesn’t tell you anything about tomorrow, ”says Dr. Patrick Godbey, president of the College of American Pathologists.

Many countries now require a negative test of Covid-19 to avoid quarantine at entry. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is usually required about 48 or 72 hours before departure. The PCR test, which detects coronavirus genetic material, is more accurate than most rapid tests. But both types of testing can produce false negatives. This can be a problem with home testing that is now underway.

“We know that if a specimen is not properly collected in any type of laboratory testing, it will introduce the greatest possibility of an incorrect result,” says Dr. Christina Wojewoda, a pathologist at the University of Vermont Medical Center and vice chair of the committee. microbiology of the College of American Pathologists.

Hawaii, which decided to exempt tourists with negative test results from October 15 from strict quarantine, designates not only what test but also what testing company it requires. Some passengers have been denied boarding on flights because their negative tests were not done in state-approved laboratories. Others arrived with negative test results that the state would not accept and had to quarantine or turn around.

“We’ve been pretty adamant with exceptions,” says Hawaii Lieutenant Gov. Josh Green, an emergency physician who has coordinated state tests.

He calls the tourism tests an “extraordinary success.” Since reopening, 500,000 people have reached the state and Hawaii’s positive test rate has dropped from 2.8% to 1.7% as of last week, he says. (On Wednesday, the state’s seven-day moving average was 2.4%.) Statewide hospitalization figures have halved: 105 people were hospitalized with Covid-19 on day before reopening and last week dropped to 54. Some 29,000 people have returned to work out of 150,000 who lost jobs due to the pandemic.

“We dedicate our success to pre-trip testing,” says Dr. Green.

It has not been without blows. With an increase in Covid-19 infections in November, the island of Kauai broke away from the state and re-imposed a 10-day quarantine regardless of the Dec. 2 tests.

There has also been evidence of setbacks elsewhere. Hong Kong and Singapore tried to establish a travel bubble that would allow quarantined travel with evidence, but pushed it back next year due to the increase in cases.

Another concern: counterfeits. According to the Associated Press, seven people were arrested by French authorities and accused of selling false Covid-19 test results at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport in November. False negative test results sold to travelers between $ 182 and $ 365.

IATA recognizes that testing only minimizes or reduces the risk of spreading the infection. It does not eliminate it. The organization, which works with member airlines on safety and sets standards for airlines around the world on issues such as reservations and technology, is creating standards for a health certificate that would be included in the passenger records, similar to passport and visa documentation.

Passengers may store Covid-19 test results in one application, in accordance with applicable privacy laws and regulations, and share information with airlines when making flight inquiries. Testing will begin this month and through January.

Airlines compete to launch applications. American tests a so-called VeriFLY with the government of Chile and United, JetBlue,

Lufthansa,

Virgin Atlantic and others are testing CommonPass.

United conducted a flight test in London from Newark, New Jersey, where the airline tested all passengers at no cost just before boarding. Passengers who did not want to take the test received other flights.

Delta is offering what it calls Covid-tested flights to Rome and Amsterdam from Atlanta starting this week. A negative PCR test is required within 72 hours of departure in Rome and five days prior to departure in Amsterdam. Passengers must also take free quick tests both before take-off and on arrival in Europe. Passengers on these flights do not have to quarantine, thanks to government agreements.

Perhaps the most extensive transmission research after pre-trip testing comes from the New Zealand Ministry of Health, which joined other researchers to study seven infected people who traveled aboard Dubai Emirates Flight 448 in Auckland on 29 September.

It is likely that two of the seven were infected before traveling, but had been negative in Zurich, Switzerland, within 72 hours of leaving the trip. Four of the seven were probably infected during the flight, according to the study, and another probably during the mandatory 14-day quarantine in New Zealand required for all passengers.

All seven people had genetically identical strains of the virus, although the passengers had been from five different countries. The seven were sitting inside two rows of the alleged scatterers and all were in aisle seats, according to the study. Travelers reported wearing masks and some wearing gloves. There were 86 passengers on the Boeing 777.

The conclusion of the study: the tests did not stop the infection in this case. “While not definitive, these findings underscore the importance of considering all international arrivals in New Zealand as potentially infected with SARS-CoV-2, even if pre-departure testing has been conducted, s ‘Distance and social spacing has been followed and personal protective equipment has been carried out in flight,’ the study said.

Write to Scott McCartney at [email protected]