Hantavirus on a Cruise Ship: What COVID-19 Taught Us.

Delayed recognition of the mechanics of aerosol transmission - the primary mode of spread of SARS-CoV-2 - at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic led to inadequate early recommendations regarding nonpharmaceutical interventions and poor initial messaging about how to reduce infection risk. We highlight key epidemiological details of Andes virus (ANDV) transmission on the MV Hondius cruise ship and during prior reported outbreaks with confirmed person-to-person spread in Argentina, which, together, suggest aerosol spread may be a key mechanism of transmission of ANDV between source cases and susceptible contacts in permissible environmental settings.