A large national outbreak of COVID-19 linked to air travel, Ireland, summer 2020

Euro Surveill. 2020 Oct;25(42):2001624. doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.42.2001624.

Abstract

An outbreak of 59 cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) originated with 13 cases linked by a 7 h, 17% occupancy flight into Ireland, summer 2020. The flight-associated attack rate was 9.8-17.8%. Spread to 46 non-flight cases occurred country-wide. Asymptomatic/pre-symptomatic transmission in-flight from a point source is implicated by 99% homology across the virus genome in five cases travelling from three different continents. Restriction of movement on arrival and robust contact tracing can limit propagation post-flight.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; aircraft; flight; in-flight transmission; passenger.

MeSH terms

  • Air Travel*
  • Asymptomatic Diseases
  • Betacoronavirus / genetics
  • Betacoronavirus / isolation & purification*
  • COVID-19
  • Contact Tracing
  • Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology*
  • Coronavirus Infections / prevention & control
  • Coronavirus Infections / transmission
  • Coronavirus Infections / virology
  • Disease Outbreaks
  • Environmental Exposure
  • Family Characteristics
  • Forms and Records Control
  • Genome, Viral
  • Hospitalization
  • Humans
  • Infection Control / methods
  • Ireland / epidemiology
  • Nasopharynx / virology
  • Pandemics* / prevention & control
  • Pneumonia, Viral / epidemiology*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / prevention & control
  • Pneumonia, Viral / transmission
  • Pneumonia, Viral / virology
  • RNA, Viral / genetics
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Seasons
  • Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
  • Time Factors
  • Travel-Related Illness*
  • Whole Genome Sequencing

Substances

  • RNA, Viral