During the winter holidays, the risk of getting coronavirus on the plane increased significantly with the advent of the Omicron strain.

The likelihood of getting coronavirus in an airplane has increased 2-3 times with the advent of the Omicron strain. This statement was made by the Medical Adviser of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), David Powell.

According to him, due to the rapid spread in the world of the new variant of COVID-19 in conjunction with the winter holidays - New Year and Christmas, the risk of contracting coronavirus on board the aircraft is now much higher. This is primarily due to the fact that during this time people fly more on vacation or visiting relatives and are more careless.

However, David Powell noted that in airports and other public places, the probability of contracting COVID-19 is much higher than in airplanes. Passengers are protected by modern on-board air filtration systems. He also added that social distance, ie empty seats between passengers, "is unlikely to be beneficial".

According to IATA, the probability of getting a virus on a plane is 1 in 27 million. In turn, experts also confirmed that it is almost impossible to get sick during a flight. The filters installed in the passenger planes ensure a deep cleaning of the air at a level of up to 99%, which is approximately the level of the operating rooms.