According to a new report published in the journal JAMA Network Open, the chances of catching Covid-19 may be small, but very likely.
The researchers assessed a commercial airline flight from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Frankfurt, Germany, that took off on March 9, 2020. There were 102 passengers on the Boeing 737-900 aircraft, of which 24 members formed part of a tourist group.
It revealed that seven days prior, the group had contact with a hotel manager who later tested positive for Covid-19. No member of the group had received a diagnosis of Covid-19 before the 4 hours 40-minute flight.
The researchers then conducted a medical evaluation of the tourist group, including testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus in a throat swab specimen, and contacted all passengers by phone and conducted structured interviews a month later.
One of the researchers, Dr Sandra Ciesek of the Institute for Medical Virology at Goethe University in Frankfurt, revealed in the report that a semiquantitative SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody test (EUROIMMUN) was offered to all passengers who had been seated within two rows of the index cases and to those who were reportedly symptomatic. A total of 71 of the other 78 passengers (91 percent) who had been exposed to the group on the flight completed the interview.
“We discovered two likely SARS-CoV-2 transmissions on this flight, with 7 index cases. These transmissions may have also occurred before or after the flight. The risk of transmission of droplet-mediated infections on an aircraft depends on proximity to an index case and other factors, such as the movement of passengers and crew, fomites, and contact among passengers in the departure gate.
“In our study, both passengers with likely onboard transmission were seated within two rows of an index case. The airflow in the cabin from the ceiling to the floor and from the front to the rear may have been associated with a reduced transmission rate. It could be speculated that the rate may have been reduced further had the passengers worn masks.
“It has previously been observed for SARS and influenza that transmission may also occur among passengers seated beyond the 2-row perimeter, indicating possible airborne transmission. Our findings do not rule out airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in an airplane cabin," the report revealed.
The chief of Infectious Diseases of Mount Sinai in New York Dr Aaron Glatt told Fox News the likelihood of transmitting Covid-19 to someone on an airplane is very low.
"Airplane trips, especially if they are of a longer duration, have the potential to transmit the infection from an infected person to the people sitting in their immediate vicinity," he said.
“The good news, however, is that even with no attempts to prevent spread, [the] spread was limited to only those in close proximity. Plus, nowadays with a better understanding of viral transmission, and recognising the importance of masking and social distancing as possible, the likelihood of transmitting Covid-19 to someone on an airplane is very low," he told the publication.