Risk of spread of Covid infection in planes may double or triple due to Omicrom: IATA

Dec. 24: In an alarming revelation, International Air Transport Association (IATA) stated that Aircraft passengers are twice or even three times more likely to catch Covid-19 during a flight since the emergence of the omicron variant. It is to mention that the new Omicron strain is highly transmissible and has also become dominant across the world in the matter of just weeks. The new variant has already been detected in 106 countries.

IATA Medical Advisor, David Powell, has warned that aircraft passengers are twice or even three times more likely to catch coronavirus during a flight since the emergence of the new Omicron variant. The IATA medical chief suggested that passengers who sit next to each other should avoid taking off their masks and eating at the same time. Powell added that as before, passengers should avoid face-to-face contact and surfaces that are frequently touched.  The advice is the same, it’s just that the relative risk has probably increased, just as the relative risk of going to the supermarket or catching a bus has increased with omicron.

While the Omicron variant, as per preliminary research, appears to be less severe than the Delta variant, the WHO has warned that it should not be dismissed as “mild”.

The number of cases of Covid’s fast-spreading strain Omicron has crossed the 300-mark in India, the Union Health Ministry said, with Omicron cases in India currently standing at 358. With 88 cases, Maharashtra has reported the highest incidence of the new strain. It is followed by Delhi with 64 cases, Telangana with 24, Rajasthan 21, Karnataka 19, Kerala 15 and Gujarat 14 cases.