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.
...While it’s good that people are resuming their regular visits, the data suggest people haven’t been making up for the missed screens earlier in the pandemic, said Ahmedin Jemal, senior vice president of surveillance and health equity science at the American Cancer Society and the senior author on the study.
Various studies and anecdotal data have found vastly different rates of rebound among both Paxlovid users and untreated people.arious studies and anecdotal data have found vastly different rates of rebound among both Paxlovid users and untreated people. ...
