Airport Screening: Coronavirus Detection Methods And Challenges

Airport screening for coronavirus involves the use of thermal scanning and/or symptom screening. The most common way to screen travellers for infectious diseases is a fever screen, where their temperature is taken as they go through airport security. There is also usually a questionnaire to fill out. Airports in the US and overseas are testing thermal cameras, sanitation booths, and other technologies for passenger screening in hopes of slowing the spread of the virus while reducing the risk of exposing airport screeners to the disease. However, there is little to suggest these procedures are actually making a difference.

Fever screening

In addition to fever screening, airports are also using thermal cameras, sanitation booths, and other technologies to screen travellers for coronavirus. These measures are intended to slow the spread of the virus while reducing the risk of exposing airport screeners to the disease. However, some experts believe that airport screening for COVID-19 is unlikely to be more effective than for SARS or pandemic flu. Researchers at the ECDC have found that approximately 75% of passengers infected with COVID-19 and travelling from affected Chinese cities would not be detected by entry screening. Similarly, a study by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine concluded that exit and entry screening is unlikely to prevent the passage of infected travellers into new countries or regions.

Questionnaires

However, some sources question the effectiveness of airport screening for COVID-19. Two recent modelling studies found that approximately 75% of passengers infected with COVID-19 and travelling from affected Chinese cities would not be detected by entry screening. A study by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine concluded that exit and entry screening "is unlikely to prevent the passage of infected travellers into new countries or regions where they may seed local transmission". Jeanine Pommier of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) agrees, stating that "scientific evidence does not support entry screening as an efficient measure for detecting incoming travellers with infectious diseases".

Thermal scanning

However, the effectiveness of thermal scanning has been called into question. Jeanine Pommier of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has stated that "scientific evidence does not support entry screening as an efficient measure for detecting incoming travellers with infectious diseases". This is especially true for coronavirus, as the symptoms of the disease are so common and the outbreak coincided with peak flu season in Europe and China.

Two recent modelling studies have also found that airport screening for COVID-19 is unlikely to be effective. A study by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control concluded that approximately 75% of passengers infected with COVID-19 and travelling from affected Chinese cities would not be detected by entry screening. A separate study by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine found that exit and entry screening "is unlikely to prevent the passage of infected travellers into new countries or regions where they may seed local transmission".

Despite this, airport screening may still help to reassure the public and give travellers renewed confidence to fly again.

Full-body scanners

Airports are now using full-body scanners to screen passengers for COVID-19. These scanners are being used in conjunction with metal detectors and face-recognition technology to identify potential terrorists.

The use of full-body scanners is one of several measures being used to screen passengers for COVID-19. Other measures include thermal scanning and/or symptom screening. For example, the most common way to screen travellers for infectious diseases is a fever screen where they take someone’s temperature while they’re going through airport security. There is also usually a questionnaire that could ask you, say, in the case of the new coronavirus, if you've been in Wuhan or in close contact with anyone who has it.

However, there is little to suggest that these procedures are making a difference. Jeanine Pommier of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) says that “scientific evidence does not support entry screening as an efficient measure for detecting incoming travellers with infectious diseases”. This is especially the case when it comes to coronavirus, since the symptoms of the disease are so common.

Exit and entry screening

However, there is little to suggest that these procedures are actually making a difference. Jeanine Pommier of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) says that “scientific evidence does not support entry screening as an efficient measure for detecting incoming travellers with infectious diseases”. She adds that this is especially the case when it comes to coronavirus, since the symptoms of the disease are so common. Two recent modelling studies also call screening into question. Researchers at the ECDC concluded that approximately 75% of passengers infected with COVID-19 and travelling from affected Chinese cities would not be detected by entry screening. A study by a group at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine concluded that exit and entry screening “is unlikely to prevent passage of infected travellers into new countries or regions where they may seed local transmission”.

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