Mabwana azaumoyo ku Boma la UK: Lekani kukhala pa mpanda wa COVID

His comments come after shares in airlines and travel firms across Europe took a dive last week wiping millions off the value of shares. IAG which owns British Airways saw its shares drop the most at 15%, while EasyJet dropped 10%, TUI AG 8.9%, and Ryan Air 7.4%. Other European airlines also followed suit with share prices downgraded over the uncertainty of the leisure holiday market and wider international travel. 

Consultant Virologist and Infectious Diseases Physician Dr. Brendan Payne – who advises Akea Life the clinical services provider to Salutaris People – believes that COVID-19 testing will remain alongside the requirement to wear face masks for at least the next 3 years in any form of air travel.

“The NHS and Public Health England (PHE) will need to maintain COVID testing capability indefinitely. COVID will not be eliminated by vaccinations, and we need to find long-term solutions to live with it. An intensive program of COVID testing is key as a major defense against new waves and new strains compromising our gains from vaccination. I don’t see this changing for at least the next year and probably longer. The most likely scenario for the next few years is a continued “arms race” between new variants of COVID and vaccination. Widespread COVID testing is absolutely crucial and critical in winning that battle.

“For travel that is permitted for summer 2021, I would expect that this will continue to rely heavily on pre (and post) travel testing. I don’t think vaccination status will feature significantly in the travel rules for most countries this year. Current COVID vaccines are on average perhaps 80% effective and not everyone will agree to have one. There will always be a certain number of COVID infections in the public, despite widespread vaccination. Indeed, in many ways it becomes more important to test widely once COVID numbers become lower, because you need to know as quickly as possible if you are starting to lose control of the situation again. This is critical in quickly identifying hot spots of infection cases rising.

“By 2022, you would hope that we might be in a position of much more standardized international rules for air travel. This might feature vaccination status, however, I still foresee a significant role for testing, perhaps ‘proof of vaccination’ and a ‘negative’ test would be the rule. I think that masks are almost certainly going to be required on any kind of transport for at least the next 3 years, and quite possibly very long-term.”

Salutaris People which has a series of COVID-19 clinics across the Northwest of England is also currently working towards UKAS registration and ISO/IEC 17025 status in line with the government’s recommendations to regulate private sector COVID-19 testing services.

Ben Paglia MD of Akea Life, the Clinical Partner of Salutaris, said: “The government needs to offer a clear set of concrete dates for the resumption of air travel, even if this is in stages and staggered. Certain ‘hotspot’ countries could be restricted for air travel until vaccination programs are up to speed, but this must be combined with regular COVID-19 testing.

“Business and essential travel could open up first followed by leisure and holiday travel. Passengers could be identified as ‘Fit to Fly’ providing they have been vaccinated and/or taken a PCR test, along with the continuation of wearing masks alongside social distancing and strict hand sanitization protocols. At least this way we would start to make some progress and have some certainty for the airline and travel industry. Right now so many people are suffering from lockdown fatigue, mental health issues, anxiety, and depression. Just the ability to even plan and book a flight or holiday would provide light at the end of the tunnel and lift the spirits of so many people.”

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