According to David Powell, medical adviser for International Air Transport Association, passengers are twice or even three times more at risk of catching COVID19 because of the omicron variant. The highly transmissible strain is expected by health experts to become the dominant strain in the US.
Modern passenger aircraft use hospital-grade air filters. This makes planes safer compared to crowded places on the ground such as malls according to Powell. IATA’s medical adviser also said that a less crowded business class is safer than economy cabins.
Powell suggests the usual COVID19 protocols such as hand hygiene, masks, and social distancing can help mitigate risks. However, Powell said that the greatest protection for passengers is to get vaccinated and get the booster shot.
Powell said that “There’s a sort of rule of thumb starting to appear, that essentially omicron loses you one vaccine dose of benefit”. He added that “Two doses against omicron is about similar protection to one dose against delta”.
Powell also said that an empty middle row or having the crew members wear full protective suits doesn’t help much.
During a senate committee hearing last week, airline executives touted that the HEPA filters make traveling on planes less risky than other modes of transport. Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly told lawmakers that “masks don’t add much”. United’s CEO Scott Kirby also added that “The airplane is the safest place that you can be indoors”.
Sarah Nelson, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) believes that other layers of protection aside from the aircraft’s filtration system are necessary. She said that “it is important to recognize that the safe controlled environment on the plane is a layered safety protocol”. She added that the HEPA filtration system isn’t present on all planes.
Top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci said in an interview that he thinks that masks are here to stay for those who are flying. Also, the Biden administration announced the extension of the mask mandate at least until March next year.
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