SARS-CoV-2 and RT-PCR Testing in Travelers: Results of a Cross-sectional Study of Travelers at Iraq's International Borders.

Abstract

In late 2019, a novel coronavirus was detected in Wuhan, China, that caused a pandemic by September 2021, resulting in 224,180,411 cases and more than 4,600,000 deaths worldwide. In response to the pandemic, the Autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq (KRG) imposed strict infection control measures at its borders for all travelers from neighboring countries, wherein each traveler was subjected to a mandatory reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test on arrival to detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infected travelers. The aim of this study is to determine the rate of infection with SARS-CoV-2 among the travelers entering Kurdistan region through Ibrahim Al-Khalil crossing point with Turkey as a predictor for the upcoming infection waves. The data of RT-PCR tests to detect SARS-CoV-2 in all travelers arriving at the Ibrahim Al-Khalil Border Crossing between Iraq and the Republic of Turkey were reviewed from August 21, 2020 to August 21, 2021. It was found that there were 9873 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections among 1,082,074 travelers during the study period. This study shows the importance of mass testing of travelers at border crossings to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection.