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Emerg Infect Dis
. 2020 Sep 18;26(11).
doi: 10.3201/eid2611.203254. Online ahead of print.
In-Flight Transmission of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2
Edward M Choi, Daniel K W Chu, Peter K C Cheng, Dominic N C Tsang, Malik Peiris, Daniel G Bausch, Leo L M Poon, Deborah Watson-Jones
- PMID: 32946370
- DOI: 10.3201/eid2611.203254
Abstract
Four persons with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection had traveled on the same flight from Boston, Massachusetts, USA, to Hong Kong, China. Their virus genetic sequences are identical, unique, and belong to a clade not previously identified in Hong Kong, which strongly suggests that the virus can be transmitted during air travel.
Keywords: 2019 novel coronavirus disease; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; air travel; aircraft; case reports; coronavirus disease; disease transmission; epidemiologic studies; genome; infectious; respiratory infections; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; viral; viruses; whole-genome sequencing; zoonoses.