Seven-day isolation enough for air passengers – Experts

Medical experts say seven days self-isolation is enough to detect if a air passenger has COVID-19, especially when the passenger complied with the non-pharmaceutical interventions.

The passenger to be on self-isolation for seven days, the experts said, should also not have come in contact with an asymptomatic COVID-19 patient.

The experts’ views were in response to the fresh COVID-19 protocol for air passengers issued recently by the Federal Government.

It could be recalled that the National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Sani Aliyu, had during a briefing in Abuja last Monday said that passengers will be asked to proceed on self-isolation at home for seven days upon arrival into the country.

Aliyu said, “We will continue with the policy that airlines will only board passengers without symptoms of COVID-19 and with negative PCR result.

“Airlines will be fined $3,500 per passenger if they fail to comply with the pre-boarding arrangement.

“On arrival in the country from 29th of August, passports will no longer be retained by the Nigeria Immigration Service.

“Rather, passengers will be allowed to proceed and exit the airport once they can show evidence of a negative COVID-19 PCR result and evidence for payment for a repeat PCR result in the country; and where possible, where we have been able to get the health questionnaires that have been submitted.

“Passengers will be asked to proceed on self-isolation at home for seven days. On Day 7, they will proceed to their sample collection centre for a repeat PSR test and by Day 8, they will be allowed to rejoin the society.

“Based on scientific proof, the PTF has been advised to shorten the isolation duration from 14 days to seven days provided passengers have a negative PCR result from Day 7.

“Passengers will be monitored by public health officers throughout isolation and those who develop symptoms will be treated,” Aliyu said.

Speaking in an interview with PUNCH HealthWise, a professor of virology and former Vice-Chancellor of the Redeemer’s University Nigeria, Oyewale Tomori, said “given that the incubation period of COVID-19 infection varies from 2-14 days, a person with a negative test 7 days before arrival, who was in strict isolation for seven days, without any symptoms and contact with an infected person, could be deemed to have completed the 14 day incubation period and therefore considered not infected.

“There is no implication as such provided the person was in STRICT isolation and did not come in contact with an asymptomatic person and complied with the non-pharmaceutical interventions- face mask, hand washing, safe distance.”

According to him, strict compliance by all, with the non-pharmaceutical interventions have been shown to slow the spread of the disease.

Adding, Tomori said “First this is an evolving disease and we are learning more and more every day about the disease. Provided the conditions listed are complied with, then the protocol of seven days isolation should stand. My fear is will our people comply with the guideline?

“With non-compliance, there is the greater chance of continuing transmission of COVID-19 disease, especially with a large number of asymptomatic cases roaming around.”

Also, an epidemiologist and population health scientist at the Harvard University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Dr. Ibraheem Abioye said the FG is reducing isolation to seven days based on a negative COVID-19 test.

“So long as the test is negative, it should be fine.

“The issue is that 14 days is the amount of time it takes from when a person is infected to when they would stop having infectious virus – if they are no longer symptomatic. If they’re not symptomatic any longer, and a Polymerase chain reaction test is negative, it is unlikely that they would be able to spread the virus.

“It is possible that they were infected earlier before they got tested. That’s common. Even more important in our context where it takes quite a few days from testing until when results take place. So, if by day seven of isolation, an individual tests negative, I would imagine that they had been infected at least seven days before.

If they’re no longer having symptoms, they are probably no longer a risk to the community or themselves,” Abioye said.