Sign in Subscribe
Quarantine

McMaster HealthLabs, Air Canada, and GTAA Collaborate on COVID-19 Study

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

McMaster HealthLabs (MHL), a non-profit organization that develops COVID-19 research initiatives, has partnered with Air Canada and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) to study the effectiveness of various quarantine periods for international travellers arriving at Toronto Pearson International Airport. The month-long research project aims to gather data on the number and percentage of arriving international travellers who test positive for COVID-19 during the federal government's quarantine period. MHL's team of scientists and doctors will collect and analyze samples from consenting participants to better understand the potential risk to the health of Canadians posed by international air travel.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study will be conducted on a strictly voluntary basis, with over 100,000 international travellers expected to participate, making it the largest of its kind.
  • Participants will provide a sample to MHL researchers before leaving the airport and supply two additional samples that will be self-collected seven and fourteen days after arrival.
  • MHL will have samples analyzed for COVID-19 at the Research Institute of St. Joe's Hamilton using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing.
  • Participants will be notified electronically of the first results within 48 hours, and the study will provide data to help determine if an airport-based COVID-19 surveillance program is feasible and if self-collection of COVID-19 testing is effective.
  • The study will explore options regarding the 14-day quarantine for international travel and provide data to support decision-making about COVID-19.
  • Air Canada, as the largest Canadian airline operating out of Toronto's Pearson International Airport, is providing resources and support for the study, and the findings may be useful to the Government of Canada in its decision-making to control the spread of COVID-19.

Statistics:

  • 100,000+ international travellers expected to participate in the study
  • 48 hours-notification period for first results
  • PCR testing to analyze samples for COVID-19
  • 14-day quarantine period for international travellers
  • $Unknown (no funding mentioned)

Sources:

  • McMaster HealthLabs (MHL)
  • Air Canada
  • The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA)
  • HealthLabs (MHL)
  • John Gilmour, MHL's Chief Executive Officer
  • Dr. Jim Chung, Chief Medical Officer at Air Canada
  • Deborah Flint, President and CEO, GTAA
  • Dr. Marek Smieja, MHL's Scientific Director
  • Dr. Vivek Goel, co-principal investigator of the MHL study, professor at the University of Toronto, and former CEO of Public Health Ontario

Read more