Estimating the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in New Zealand border arrivals.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Travel restrictions and border controls were used extensively during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the processes for making robust evidence-based risk assessments of source countries to inform border control policies was in many cases very limited.

Methods

Between April 2020 and February 2022, all international arrivals to New Zealand were required to spend 14 days in government-managed quarantine facilities and were tested at least twice. The infection rates among arrivals in the years 2020, 2021 and 2022 were respectively 6.3, 9.4 and 90.0 cases per thousand arrivals (487, 1064 and 1496 cases). Test results for all arrivals were linked with travel history, providing a large and comprehensive dataset on the number of SARS-CoV-2-positive and negative travellers

SUBMITTER: Arnold R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11622930 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature