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For several weeks earlier this summer, teen campers from across the country converged on a rural Christian camp in North Carolina for faith and fun that within weeks had turned into a super-spreader nightmare.
Considered a “fantastic” escape, camper families shell out about $ 350 a week to send their kids to campgrounds nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains to hike, swim, zip line, barbecue, and coming together for “a healthy portion of the Word of God” as described on the camp websites.
But Transylvania County public health officials told the Daily Beast that campers returned home with both memories and cases of COVID-19, after following at least 76 cases nationwide in The Wilds Campgrounds.
Health officials say 76 cases in 17 states have been linked to The Wilds, who served teens with games and Bible verses during his summer sessions for more than five decades.
“It is certainly possible that more cases could be identified,” said Transylvania Public Health spokeswoman Tara Rybka, adding that all of the persistent cases were likely due to delays in notification as more cases poured in. States.
Photos posted on The Wilds Facebook page show children crowded around largely mask-less outdoor activities during church sessions between June 28 and July 17.
Health officials declined to say whether or not the cluster portrays a picture of a camp that had not vigilantly followed security requirements amid the pandemic. Camp brochures and registration forms on The Wilds website do not mention COVID protocols and a list of “what to bring” to camp does not mention face masks.
A vaccination waiver on the camp’s website says campers generally need to be vaccinated against a multitude of diseases according to state health department standards, but also provides an option for parents who choose not to vaccinate their children. children to “sign a declaration releasing the camp from all liability due to exposure to a communicable disease.”
A mother, Brooke Taylor Jensen, told the Daily Beast she had “concerns” after receiving an email from the camp informing her that her 15-year-old son’s session had been canceled after campers and counselors have tested positive for the virus in the previous weeks. .
“Guess I assumed most had been vaccinated … and judging by the sounds, they weren’t.“
“I was surprised that there was an epidemic among the advisers,” Jensen said. “I guess I assumed most of them had been vaccinated because I wouldn’t have considered sending my son if he hadn’t been and from rumors from him it wasn’t. the case.”
Although Jensen’s son spent three summers at The Wilds, she added that he wouldn’t be attending another session this year.
“He loves it and was very disappointed but we weren’t ready to take the risk,” she said.
The number of infections tracing back to the camp southwest of Asheville has continued to rise since last week, when Transylvania Public Health first identified 58 cases in 14 states, WLOS previously reported.
As of Thursday afternoon, the tally of positive cases included 47 staff and 29 campers or chaperones who were not working on campus, Rybka said.
Cases from the cluster have been detected in Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin, the department confirmed.
County public health officials began investigating after learning of the first set of cases among campers who had returned home and tested positive for the virus.
“Once the camp learned about this, they tested all of their staff,” Rybka said. The camp also closed for a week following the cluster, canceling its July 19-24 session, but camps have since resumed.
During his weeklong hiatus, Jensen said in addition to testing staff, the camp said “they will deep clean and quarantine those who are sick.”
In a statement posted on The Wilds website, camp officials also said they pledged to “continue to take important precautions” to protect our staff and campers from COVID-19.
“While some campers and staff will test positive or show symptoms at different times this summer, we plan to continue to serve your camper safely through the remainder of the summer as the Lord allows,” the Lord said. communicated.
In separate statements to Transylvania Public Health, the church camp said it would test and quarantine staff, notify campers who attended sessions where cases were reported, canceling a July 19-24 session and “implementing additional actions to limit the spread of COVID-19 among campers and staff.”
“Regarding specific details, our recommendations for all camps are that they follow North Carolina guidelines for summer camps,” Rybka said. This guide recommends that, for camps where not everyone is vaccinated, unvaccinated campers and staff should quarantine for two weeks before arriving and provide proof of a negative test 1-3 days before the arrival. He also demands that the camps remind people to distance themselves socially and to use face coverings.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also updated their guidelines for summer camps in May, advising that camps should only forgo face masks, social distancing and capacity restrictions if everyone is vaccinated. . Otherwise, the CDC encourages unvaccinated campers to wear masks indoors, in crowded outdoor locations, and during close contact activities, especially in counties at high risk of transmission.
The CDC has identified Transylvania County as one of those counties struggling with a “high” level of transmission as the most infectious Delta variant tears apart across the country.
There have only been two other clusters of a similar magnitude in Transylvania County since at least last summer – one that dates back to a nursing home and started last August, and one more eruption. of 80 cases at Brevard College last spring, Rybka said. .
In North Carolina, 50 percent of residents have received at least one dose of a vaccine, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.
The Wilds did not respond to The Daily Beast’s requests for comment on the new cases on Thursday.
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