[NCEZID] Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance

The goal of [NCEZID] Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance is to monitor importation of SARS-CoV-2 variants among arriving international air travelers at select U.S. airports. Data will be used to inform early detection of imported SARS-COV-2 variants into the U.S. and for program management purposes. Data is collected from two lower nasal dry self-swabs from participants in airports that are pooled in batches of 5-10 samples. One sample will be pooled with samples from other travelers from the same flight origin country. Pooled samples undergo SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing and whole genome sequencing on positive samples to determine viral lineage. The second will be kept if there is a need to look more closely at a positive pool. Samples may be sent to CDC for further testing. Surveillance may be expanded to test for other pathogens such as influenza. Participants complete a questionnaire with their demographic, clinical, and travel history information and will be given a free antigen test kit for their time. This Non-Substantive Change Request is submitted to replace the existing instruction “list all connections” with the more explicit follow-up question: “Did you have any other connecting flights?” to allow data collection would flow more smoothly and result in higher quality, more consistent data collection. There is no change to the approved burden hours.

The latest form for [NCEZID] Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance expires 2026-06-30 and can be found here.