Public-health officials proceed to trace latest COVID-19 variants despite the fact that the pandemic was declared officially over last month. Experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are monitoring samples from international passengers arriving within the U.S. after data collection got reduced when the pandemic measures were eliminated.
The Traveler-Based Genomic Surveillance program, launched by the CDC in late 2021, continues to operate in seven of the busiest international airports within the U.S. These airports include John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).
Partnering with XpresCheck, an organization initially known for running airport spas but later involved in COVID-19 testing, CDC officials meet passengers from chosen international flights after customs clearance. Officials request voluntary nasal swabs from the passengers, that are then pooled and tested by Ginkgo Bioworks, the CDC’s lab partner.
Dr. Cindy Friedman, chief of the travelers’ health branch on the CDC, emphasized the criticality of this program for early detection and filling in blind spots in global surveillance. As testing decreases in lots of countries, including the U.S., tracking passengers from abroad becomes a perfect method to observe virus changes and global movement. Dr. Friedman herself participated in this system after coming back from a visit abroad, underscoring the role of travelers as sentinels carrying beneficial samples to the U.S.
“This program is critical for early detection and filling in lots of blind spots in global surveillance. This is admittedly critical at once as many countries, including the U.S., are decreasing testing by as much as 90%. It is a key piece of biosecurity,” Dr. Friedman was quoted as saying by TIME.
CDC officials select flights for testing each week based on global case trends. In the course of the recent surge in cases in China and other parts of Asia, this system detected a rise in positive tests from the region just before case numbers peaked. This system often identifies case increases before they’re reported in news stories or the public-health community.
Thus far, over 200,000 passengers have provided samples upon arrival within the U.S. Passengers offer anonymous information akin to age, travel itinerary, and COVID-19 infection and vaccination history. Additionally they provide two nasal swabs, with one added to a pooled sample and the opposite stored for potential later testing.
If the pooled sample tests positive, the second sample is individually tested to discover the positive cases throughout the pool. If novel changes are present in the genetic sequence, the second sample is distributed to CDC labs in Atlanta for further characterization and added to the agency’s growing database of SARS-CoV-2 sequences.
In 2021, this system detected the Omicron BA.2 and BA.3 variants one week and 6 weeks ahead of reported cases within the U.S., respectively.
While this system has received a powerful variety of volunteers willing to offer nasal swabs, maintaining this altruism may turn into more difficult because the urgency of the pandemic diminishes. Subsequently, the CDC is strengthening its airport wastewater testing program as a possible screening method.
For a couple of yr, the agency has collected wastewater directly from lavatories on overseas flights at three to 4 airports, in addition to from communal drains at SFO. Initial testing has shown that wastewater reflects the identical variants identified through nasal swab testing, a finding supported by similar studies in Australia.
Wastewater screening holds promise as a everlasting pathogen screening tool that may be adapted to detect any emerging disease-causing agent, making it crucial in preparing for future biological threats.
Health officials emphasized the importance of learning from this system’s success and ensuring that the teachings should not wasted, particularly as precautions are being relaxed. Implementing anticipatory and proactive surveillance tools, akin to wastewater screening, could have significantly benefited the world in early 2020 by detecting latest strains of the coronavirus in multiple countries after its initial detection in China. This foresight would have facilitated the event of diagnostics, identification of outbreaks, and ultimately, modified the sport.
Published by Medicaldaily.com