[ad_1]
The wedding reception in a small town led to three separate outbreaks of Covid-19 that infected 178 people, putting three in hospital and killing seven more, health investigators reported on Thursday.
The CDC report did not mention the wedding location, but the reception gained national notoriety as the toll has risen since an Aug. 7 reception in Millinocket. Thursday’s report adds more details on what epidemiologists know about the spread of the virus since the reception at the Big Moose Inn.
The wedding reception featured at least 55 people, more than the 50 people currently allowed at indoor gatherings in Maine. Guests were seated side by side, were not required to wear masks, and had no social distancing. Thirty people who attended the event then tested positive for Covid-19.
However, the effects of the reception did not end with the participants. In a city that had previously had no cases of Covid-19, 27 people subsequently tested positive, after having had contact with attendees at the reception. A resident has died.
Even further away from the event, a long-term care facility experienced an outbreak that infected 36 people and killed six after the relative of a wedding guest went to work at the facility. Later, a correctional facility 200 miles from the wedding reception had a Covid-19 outbreak that infected 82 staff and residents after a wedding guest went to work at the facility while he was away. symptomatic.
So far, that wedding reception has been linked to at least 178 Covid-19 infections, seven hospitalizations and seven deaths, Maine CDC officials said. None of those who fell seriously ill or died even made it to the wedding, and many lived far from the event, in situations where it was difficult or impossible to prevent the spread.
“This report is an uplifting tale for people thinking about how to celebrate the winter break. The rallies at the center of this outbreak took place in a rural area that had seen virtually no evidence of Covid-19, ”said Robert Long, director of communications for Maine’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
“That changed quickly and tragically. The message for people planning to get together over the holidays is better to say ‘I’m glad to be ready’ than ‘I wish I was ready,’ Long said. If communities wait to start preventing Covid -19 until it happens, “it’s probably too late.”
Planning a healthy vacation
The decisions people make around the holidays this year will not be limited to celebration, and preventive measures will be crucial in the coming weeks to prevent the spread of the current outbreak in the country.
Halloween celebrations have already been linked to at least five outbreaks in New Jersey, and the trips that typically accompany winter vacations add another dimension to the risk of Covid-19.
All of this to say that the holiday season will likely be different for many, but that difference can be crucial in stopping the spread.
In fact, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr Anthony Fauci, told CNN’s Chris Cuomo last month that Americans may need to “delay” Thanksgiving celebrations this year. Fauci has previously said her Thanksgiving will be different this year, as her children remain in their own homes to limit exposure and possible spread.
In a blog post, National Institutes of Health Director Dr Francis Collins recommended those planning to get together for the holidays consider sending gifts, logging in remotely, and spending time. outdoors in order to spend quality time with loved ones while remaining safe.
Collins also recalled that the changes and sacrifices made now could end up making the weeks and months easier to come.
“While this holiday season is likely to be memorable in ways we could never have imagined, I have no doubts that, thanks to rapid advances in medical research, we will eventually bring the Covid pandemic under control. 19 so that we can once again give everyone we love a big hug in person, ”he wrote.
[ad_2]
Source link