Air Travel, Public Health Measures and Risk in the context of COVID-19

Abstract

This summary is intended to provide the scientific foundation to assessing risk related to air travel during COVID-19. As the pandemic continues, and as vaccination programmes are under way in most countries, the considerations behind decisions regarding travel will continue to change. This document aims to provide an up to date evaluation of those considerations, based on available scientific evidence. It should be read with attention to the date of the latest revision, as the state of knowledge will continue to evolve rapidly. It is prepared in the context of vaccination progress being at different stages in different countries. Despite the best efforts by WHO to aim for vaccine equity, countries are achieving vaccination at wildly different rates and it appears likely that this will continue to be the case. Additionally, regulatory approval differs between states both between vaccine type and even within the same type, depending on place of manufacture. As a result, the risk assessment around travel between one pair of countries may be very different from the assessment for another pair of countries.