Hundreds of children contracted the coronavirus at a summer camp in the US state of Georgia last month, health authorities said Friday, adding to growing evidence that minors are susceptible to infection and vectors of transmission.
The virus infected at least 260 of the 597 attendees, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, adding that the actual number was likely higher since test results were only available for 58 percent of the group. .
The camp ignored CDC’s advice that all summer camp participants wear cloth masks, requiring them only for staff.
However, it adhered to a state executive order requiring all participants to show evidence of a negative COVID-19 test taken 12 days or less prior to arrival.
Other precautionary measures included physical distancing, frequent disinfection of surfaces, keeping children in the same small group, also known as a “cohort,” and staggering the use of common spaces.
The camp held an orientation for 138 students and 120 staff members from June 17-20, the vast majority of whom were 21 years of age or younger.
The staff remained when the camp officially opened on June 21, and they were joined by 363 campers, ages 6 to 19, as well as three more senior staff.
Camp attendees “participated in a variety of indoor and outdoor activities, including daily singing and cheering,” the report said. They slept in cabins with capacity for 26 people.
On June 23, a teenage staff member left the camp after developing chills the night before. The staff member was tested for SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus, on June 24 and had a positive result the same day.
The camp began sending campers home that day and closed the camp on June 27.
A health investigation launched on June 25 found that 260 of 344 people for whom test results were available were positive.
Among them, 74 percent had mild symptoms, such as fever, headache, and sore throat, while the rest showed no symptoms.
“These findings demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 spread efficiently in a youth-focused nighttime environment, resulting in high attack rates among people in all age groups,” the authors of the report wrote. CDC.
The attack rate is the total number of new cases divided by the total population at risk.
The authors added that the findings contribute to a body of evidence “demonstrating that children of all ages are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and, unlike early reports, could play an important role in transmission. “
© 2020 AFP
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