TY - JOUR AU - Fox-Lewis, Andrew AU - Williamson, Felicity AU - Harrower, Jay AU - Ren, Xiaoyun AU - Sonder, Gerard J.B. AU - McNeill, Andrea AU - de Ligt, Joep AU - Geoghegan, Jemma T1 - Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant within Tightly Monitored Isolation Facility, New Zealand (Aotearoa) T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2022 VL - 28 IS - 3 SP - 501 SN - 1080-6059 AB - In New Zealand, international arrivals are quarantined and undergo severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 screening; those who test positive are transferred to a managed isolation facility (MIF). Solo traveler A and person E from a 5-person travel group (BCDEF) tested positive. After transfer to the MIF, person A and group BCDEF occupied rooms >2 meters apart across a corridor. Persons B, C, and D subsequently tested positive; viral sequences matched A and were distinct from E. The MIF was the only shared location of persons A and B, C, and D, and they had no direct contact. Security camera footage revealed 4 brief episodes of simultaneous door opening during person A’s infectious period. This public health investigation demonstrates transmission from A to B, C, and D while in the MIF, with airborne transmission the most plausible explanation. These findings are of global importance for coronavirus disease public health interventions and infection control practices. KW - COVID-19 KW - airborne transmission KW - coronavirus disease KW - SARS-CoV-2 KW - severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 KW - viruses KW - respiratory infections KW - zoonoses KW - New Zealand KW - Delta variant DO - 10.3201/eid2803.212318 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/28/3/21-2318_article ER - End of Reference