Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant within Tightly Monitored Isolation Facility, New Zealand (Aotearoa)

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Emerg Infect Dis
• Personal Author:
  Fox-Lewis, Andrew ; Williamson, Felicity ; Harrower, Jay ; Ren, Xiaoyun ; Sonder, Gerard J.B. ; McNeill, Andrea ; de Ligt, Joep ; Geoghegan, Jemma L.
• Description:
  In New Zealand, international arrivals are quarantined and undergo severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 screening; those who test positive are transferred to a managed isolation facility (MIF). Solo traveler A and person E from a 5-person travel group (BCDEF) tested positive. After transfer to the MIF, person A and group BCDEF occupied rooms >2 meters apart across a corridor. Persons B, C, and D subsequently tested positive; viral sequences matched A and were distinct from E. The MIF was the only shared location of persons A and B, C, and D, and they had no direct contact. Security camera footage revealed 4 brief episodes of simultaneous door opening during person A's infectious period. This public health investigation demonstrates transmission from A to B, C, and D while in the MIF, with airborne transmission the most plausible explanation. These findings are of global importance for coronavirus disease public health interventions and infection control practices.
• Subjects:
  Air Microbiology Covid-19/Transmission Humans Quarantine Sars-Cov-2 Sars-Cov-2 Variants
• Source:
  Emerg Infect Dis. 2022; 28(3):501-509
• Pubmed ID:
  34965365
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC8888211
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New Zealand
• Volume:
  28
• Issue:
  3
• Collection(s):
  Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:88c7358f0dc457cd9ae4fbb6e574812d290dcdb1585df533841f19040422d308
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/115232/cdc_115232_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.68 MB ]