CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — International travelers at O'Hare Airport will soon be able to help the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC is expanding its Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance (TGS) program to both O'Hare and Miami International, which brings the total number of participating airports to nine.
“These airports receive visitors from all over the world, so we have a good idea [of] what might be coming into the country in the way of organisms that pose a threat to public health,” said Tom Skinner, a CDC spokesperson.
Skinner said the voluntary and anonymous program, which started in 2021 will be up and running at O'Hare by the end of March. Those who are willing to participate will be asked a few questions by CDC workers — who will also collect a nose swab.
“That swab is then processed and tested for a panel of various organisms that we're looking for, including COVID, RSV, influenza,” he said.
Skinner said the program is effective and helped the CDC detect the Omicron variant of COVID-19 six weeks before it was reported elsewhere in the United States.
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