Thermal scanners are effective in detecting people infected with the novel coronavirus.

Statements by LSHTM and the Birmingham Watch refute the claim that thermal scanners can effectively detect COVID-19 infected people.

According to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, for every 100 infected travellers planning to take a 12-hour flight, only 9 will be detected at entry screening upon arrival using a thermal scanner as screening is only able to detect infected travellers who are currently showing symptoms, such as fever. It means that a thermal scanner cannot detect every traveller infected with the coronavirus.

Moreover, symptoms of COVID-19 can appear two to 10 days after infection, which means that someone infected with the virus could have a normal temperature while passing through the screening process, and it could be a few days before a fever begins.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.