Infection Prevention and Control in Flight in the COVID-19 Vaccine Passport Era

Background: The impact of the COVID-19 disease on air travel has been dramatic. Stringent infection prevention and control measures are vital to reduce the risk of both symptomatic and asymptomatic in-flight transmission. This is a retrospective description of the prevention and control measures in flight. With the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine, the measures should be adjusted. Methods and Results: As infection control professional medical staff, the main authors of the article participated in the development of infection prevention and control measures and procedures on international flights. We initially proposed a series of countermeasures to the COVID-19 pandemic in flight on the basis of the experience of infection prevention and control in the hospital and the guideline from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, which involving rating COVID-19 symptoms by scanning a QR code to identify suspected patients, principles of diet preparation, avoiding the peak time of dinning during flight and management of lavatory. Some of the measures we had mentioned have appeared in the new version of the guideline, which proves their effectiveness. As we learn more about how vaccines will affect the spread of COVID-19, also discuss the adjustment of measures when vaccination coverage increases. Conclusions: A clear understanding of epidemiological evidence is of great importance in prevent transmissions. Combined use of vaccines with non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce the relative risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 will enable a safe transition to achieving herd immunity. This study offer new ideas for infection prevention and control in flight in the COVID-19 vaccine passport era.