Study Shows Coronavirus Remains a Frequent Flyer

One of the first rules for leaders in a crisis situation is to provide accurate messages about what’s happening. While there’s something killing as many Americans as if we were experiencing a 9/11 every week, the awareness of those deaths seem to be lost among stories about Super Bowl pregnancy reveals, spy balloons and UFOs. (It’s coronavirus.)

So if you missed this, it’s not a surprise. A Public Library of Science Global Public Health study involving three major airports in the United Kingdom—Bristol, Edinburgh and London’s Heathrow—showed high levels of coronavirus present in their wastewater, even late in the pandemic.

Every sample taken at the arrival terminals of Heathrow and Bristol airports, and 85% of those samples taken at Edinburgh airport, were positive for coronavirus. People arriving at those terminals are bringing coronavirus as surely as they’re bringing luggage.

High numbers at major aviation hubs show that the virus is still traveling. Its rapid early spread was largely due to international air travel. The reason you hear about one new variant after another becoming the “dominant variant” is because a global spread is enabled by easily available international travel.

For event hosts planning for the arrival of face-to-face audiences from across the nation or around the globe, this should be a significant reminder that COVID-19 tests are still a good idea to stop coronavirus at the door—before it enters your site, its breakout rooms or its hospitality areas.

Coronavirus isn’t swag. You don’t want your guests to get it.

If you need a bulk supply of test kits for your event. Attend Safe can help provide them, as well as other risk mitigation consulting services and planning assistance.

COVID-19 by the Numbers

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data published Feb. 17 shows 2,838 new COVID-19 deaths and 259,339 new confirmed cases for the week. Just 16.0% of the eligible U.S. population has received the updated, or bivalent, booster.