Associations of Vaccination and of Prior Infection with Positive PCR Test Results for SARS-CoV-2 in Airline Passengers Arriving in Qatar

Abstract

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has severely affected international travel. With efficacious COVID-19 vaccines available, Qatar implemented a pilot program between February 18 and April 26, 2021, to ease travel restrictions by waiving the quarantine requirement for vaccinated residents who received their second vaccine dose at least 14 days before arrival. The program still required a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to be performed on each passenger on arrival at Hamad International Airport, Qatar’s international travel gate. We investigated the incidence of PCR-positive test results in arriving passengers.