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In January, the CDC launched an enhanced screening program for air passengers arriving from some countries where transmission of the new coronavirus is widespread.
The aim was to find sick travelers and separate them from other passengers, share information with travelers about self-monitoring and obtain their contact details which could be shared with the passenger’s local public health department.
The CDC said it was a resource-intensive program with a low case detection rate. Between January 17 and September 13, the CDC examined more than 766,000 travelers. Almost 300 met the criteria for public health assessment, 35 were tested for the coronavirus and nine tested positive. That means the program has identified about one case for every 85,000 travelers screened, the CDC reported in the agency’s weekly report Thursday.
This style of screening does not seem to work for several reasons. Covid-19 has a wide range of nonspecific symptoms common to other infections, there are a high number of asymptomatic cases, travelers can deny symptoms or take steps to avoid detection, and passenger data was limited.
The CDC also only shared contact information with local health services for 68% of the passengers screened. There were issues with data collection, the report said, and some states chose not to receive the information.
The CDC ended the program on September 14. Instead, the CDC focused on communicating with travelers to promote recommended preventative measures. The agency has also improved the public health response capacity at points of entry.
The CDC said travelers and their local communities would be better protected if there was a “more efficient” collection of contact details of international air passengers prior to their arrival and real-time data that could be sent to U.S. health services. Pre-departure testing within 72 hours of travel and testing upon arrival would help, as would rules that would encourage a traveler to self-isolate for a period of time.
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