A CDC-led surveillance project that pulled air through samplers near international arrivals at four major U.S. airports detected genetic material from the virus that causes COVID-19 in 98.3% of samples, according to a study published Sept. 9 in PLOS Global Public Health. Influenza A turned up in 17.2% of samples.
The airports were San Francisco International, Newark Liberty International, Washington Dulles International, and Dallas/Fort Worth International, major gateways for the Bay Area, the New York and New Jersey region, Washington, D.C., and North Texas. For anyone flying this fall, the headline number can sound like a warning, but it is not a measure of the chance that any traveler will get sick.
