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Evidence in peer-reviewed literature does not support the use of thermal scanning as an efficient measure for detecting fever in travellers or individuals requiring access to workplaces (1-4).

 

Studies have shown that many travellers that have passed the temperature- based screening had subsequently tested positive for COVID-19 using the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) (5-7). A study by Quilty et al., (2020) demonstrated that approximately 46% of travellers would not be detected by airport thermal scanners (8).

The reasons for this include:

  • The individual may not have symptoms as yet i.e. they are still in the incubation period.
  • The individual may be on antipyretic medication to suppress a fever.
  • It may yield a false positive result (fever due to another cause).

 

The accuracy of the thermal scanner is variable and requires close up face imaging (<50cm) which leads to an unnecessary risk for droplet spread of COVID-19.

The NIOH recommends that a broader strategy be used to identify possible COVID -19 cases. This includes a brief screening questionnaire assessing the risk of exposure either from travel within the last 14 days or a close contact with a positive COVID-19 patient and a symptom checklist.

A screening questionnaire can be found at https://www.nioh.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/self-declaration-questionnaire.pdf