World news – Australia – Monitoring could lead to shorter quarantine periods for travelers, the study shows

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Passengers are shown wearing masks at the international arrivals area of ​​Toronto Pearson Airport in Toronto, in January. 26, 2020.

A study of international passengers arriving at Pearson Airport in Toronto found that most people with COVID-19 could be identified within seven days using self-administered swab tests..

Research by scientists at McMaster University and the University of Toronto demonstrates that a two-week quarantine can be safely shortened alongside monitoring, says the study’s co-author, providing hope for a hit air travel industry complaining that government restrictions are also fatigued.

A preliminary version of the study of 8,644 travelers found that 1 percent tested positive for the virus, and 68 percent of those infected were identified after the first test. A total of 94 percent of positive cases were detected after seven days, and the rest after 14 days, according to the study conducted between September.. . 3 and October. 2.

Travelers were tested for COVID-19 upon arrival, then nasal and cheek swab tests seven and 14 days later.. Their samples were sent by express mail to the researchers’ lab in Hamilton, where they were analyzed using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test..

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Dr.. Since most infected people are detected through the first test, those who test negative can continue to be in quarantine for shorter than 14 days or even without any self-isolation period, said Vivek Joel, the University of Toronto professor who helped lead the research. They have long promised to avoid exposing others to undue danger.

“Many [injured] people will not come into the community by reducing the quarantine period to seven days,” Dr.. Joel Said. “It is really a matter of the risk you are willing to take, but if travelers are going to make an obligation not to visit long-term care homes or not to visit people in at-risk groups or to participate in large gatherings . . . One test may suffice upon arrival if travelers are closely watched.

The study was launched to collect data about infections entering Canada, to test the feasibility of a testing system at the airport that allows travelers to administer their own test, and to judge whether a 14-day quarantine is necessary to discover cases in the world travelers.

A final version of the study, expected to cover more than 16,000 people and 40,000 tests, will be released and submitted for publication for peer review in January..

Dr.. Michael Lippmann, an infectious disease specialist at McGill University who was not involved in the study, said the results are useful for informing public policy about the effects of quarantine and testing.. . Dr. Interestingly, Lippmann said 1 percent was positive, which is « a significant number. ».

Most importantly, Dr.. Lippmann noted that it took two tests to find a third of the positive cases, a sign that the first test was insufficient. “It’s not enough to test people when they arrive,” Dr.. Lipman said. “[This] means you’ll miss a third of them, so you have to do something else. Losing a third of people is, for me, too much.

Dr.. This underscores the need for quarantine, even shorter than it, or a combination of quarantine and tests to make sure infected people do not spread disease, Lippmann said.. .

The Alberta government has launched a rapid test program at Calgary International Airport and at one of the border crossings into the United States that allows eligible people to leave quarantine once they receive a negative test, usually within two days of arrival.. Requirements for people who pass the first screening include the second tests, obligations to avoid people and gatherings at risk, and daily recordings with public health..

Dr.. Joel said that the study conducted at Pearson Airport is more comprehensive than the one conducted in Calgary or other cities around the world because it tests people at the end of the two-week self-isolation period.. . « [The Alberta tests] don’t track people at the end of quarantine, so you don’t know how many people you might miss, » Dr.. . The PCR tests are reliable, Goel said over the phone, losing about 1 percent of cases compared to about 50 percent of other cases.. .

Pearson’s study was funded by the federal government, Air Canada, and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority.

Canada’s borders are closed for eight months to most non-essential travel, and most people who arrive are required to self-isolate for 14 days. In addition, people are being banned from entering certain regions, including Atlantic Canada, as governments try to contain the deadly virus..

The Canadian aviation sector, which has been awaiting much of it in rescue talks with the federal government, is seeking a nationwide system of passenger testing to ease restrictions, allow people to move around and provide transportation for airlines and other companies that have suffered a sharp drop in sales..

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Study shows

McMaster University, Canada, Toronto Pearson International Airport, Research, Nasopharyngeal swab