Two new studies from Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report highlight new findings about air travel amid COVID-19, with one showing that 81% of wastewater samples from airplane restrooms had SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant genetic material in fall 2022, and the other suggesting that predeparture testing of international travelers was tied to a 52% lower positivity rate at arrival in the United States.
While SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance is a valuable way to measure disease prevalence and predict surges, a new study conducted in Las Vegas suggests that the tool may overestimate the true viral burden in areas with large influxes of tourists or commuters.
The U.S. has been monitoring for the coronavirus in wastewater since the CDC launched its National Wastewater Surveillance System in September 2020. But that testing mainly involves wastewater from households or buildings, not samples from airports or planes.
There has been widespread scepticism over China's official COVID data since it abruptly axed anti-virus controls last month that had shielded China's 1.4 billion people from the disease for three years. ...
Of course, the situation is uneven across the country, and some places have more illnesses than others. But some doctors say patient traffic is easing.
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