Aircraft passengers are twice or even three times more likely to catch Covid-19 during a flight since the emergence of the omicron variant, according to a top medical advisor to airlines. The new strain is highly transmissible and has become dominant in a matter of weeks, accounting for more than 70 per cent of all new cases in the US alone.
Avoid common-touch surfaces, hand hygiene wherever possible, masks, distancing, controlled-boarding procedures, try to avoid face-to-face contact with other customers, try to avoid being unmasked in flight, for meal and drink services, apart from when really necessary. At least nine among 10 persons getting infected by the highly transmissible Omicron variant of Covid-19 are fully vaccinated, an analysis of 183 Omicron cases in India by the Centre showed.
The WHO documents state that introducing booster doses should be firmly evidence-driven. In totality, it has to be driven by science that is applicable to our situation; driven by science that is applicable to our vaccines. In many countries like the US, UK, Germany, Russia, majority of the people have been vaccinated but still they are currently facing the third wave. So, India and other countries have to build up the defences and be prepared for another wave so that it is not as devastating as the earlier ones.