High prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in repatriation flights to Greece from three European countries

Theodore Lytras; George Dellis; Anastasia Flountzi; Sophia Hatzianastasiou; Georgia Nikolopoulou; Katerina Tsekou; Zafiris Diamantis; Grigoria Stathopoulou; Marianthi Togka; Gerasimos Gerolymatos; George Rigakos; Spiridon Sapounas; Sotirios Tsiodras

doi:10.1093/jtm/taaa054

High prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in repatriation flights to Greece from three European countries

J Travel Med. 2020 May 18;27(3):taaa054. doi: 10.1093/jtm/taaa054.

Affiliations

¹ National Public Health Organization, Athens, Greece.
² 4th Department of Internal Medicine, Attikon University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.

Abstract

Passengers on repatriation flights to Greece from the UK, Spain and Turkey were screened with oropharyngeal swabs on arrival for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Despite almost all passengers being asymptomatic, many tested positive (3.6% from UK, 6.3% from Spain and 6.3% from Turkey), indicating widespread transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in these countries.

Keywords: COVID; air travel; asymptomatic transmission; coronavirus; pandemic; real-time PCR; screening.

MeSH terms

Adult
Betacoronavirus
COVID-19
Coronavirus Infections / diagnosis
Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology*
Greece / epidemiology
Humans
London
Pandemics
Pneumonia, Viral / diagnosis
Pneumonia, Viral / epidemiology*
Prevalence
Quarantine
SARS-CoV-2
Spain
Travel*
Turkey
Young Adult