Arriving international passengers at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport were enrolled in a prospective study of COVID-19 risk upon arrival and during quarantine in September and October 2020. The study assessed the feasibility of enrolling arriving passengers, the acceptability and quality of self-collected specimens for detection of COVID-19 infection and the scale-up of robotic testing for time-efficient and cost-effective COVID-19 testing. Participants self-collected specimens at the airport on arrival, and weekly at home during 14 days of quarantine. Additionally, they completed questionnaires on their attitudes and experiences with the tests and quarantine. Over 16,000 participants were enrolled in the study. The results inform strategies for combining a testing strategy with reduced quarantine time.
Intended audience: Public health practitioners
The objectives of the webinar are to:
- Identify the methods used for the International Border Surveillance Study
- Review the key results from the study
- Discuss the findings in the context of the broader literature and the potential implications of the findings for considering future approaches to COVID-19 border control
- Summarize the strengths and limitations of the study, and potential implications for public health practice