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As of August, 180 cases of Covid-19 had been attributed to a five-day religious camp for adolescents and a two-day men’s conference, both held in June. Five people were hospitalized.
The investigation, conducted by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that few pandemic precautions had been taken on either side.
The church camp lasted for four days in mid-June. On June 13, 294 campers from Illinois, Iowa and Missouri arrived at Camp Sleepaway in western Illinois, where they were picked up by 41 staff.
Campers lived in large groups, ate together, and participated in several group activities. No proof of vaccination or Covid-19 test was required to attend the camp.
The first camper tested positive for Covid-19 on June 16, after leaving the camp with a fever and respiratory symptoms. As of August 13, 87 camp participants have tested positive for Covid-19.
Six camp staff who would later test positive then attended a two-day men’s conference hosted by the same religious group at a different location. As with the night camp, the conference did not require any vaccination, testing or mask.
Of the 500 participants and 30 staff attending the conference, 35 people tested positive for Covid-19.
The effects of both events spread beyond the participants. Almost a third of all conference and camp-related cases were secondary infections, meaning it was close contact with someone who attended one or the other event.
Researchers determined that 1,127 people were exposed to the virus during these two events, in 18 counties in four states. Adams County, Illinois, where the events occurred, saw a 68% increase in its average number of new cases per day in the week following the discovery of the last secondary case, compared to the week preceding the event.
CDC researchers determined that the outbreak was largely, but not completely, linked to the Delta variant of the coronavirus. The Delta variant accounted for 87% of all sequenced viruses in the outbreak, and the Alpha variant was identified in 10% of the samples sequenced, they reported.
Of the eight sequenced samples of vaccinated individuals, seven were the Delta variant and one was Alpha. The diversity of variants present, the researchers said, likely indicate that there were several “SARS-CoV-2 introductions” into the camp, rather than a single infection.
“In this investigation, most of the reported COVID-19 cases were identified among unvaccinated people. However, transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from vaccinated people to both unvaccinated and vaccinated people has likely occurred. “the researchers wrote.
The results of this investigation add even more evidence of the need for vaccinations, testing and other mitigation measures, especially as the more transmissible Delta variant spreads. This work also sheds more light on the spread in the camps, the researchers said.
“As of August 7, COVID-19 outbreaks in at least 21 overnight camps have been reported in Illinois, reinforcing the importance of COVID-19 prevention measures in these camps, including identifying those infected with through pre-arrival testing and screening programs; and the consistent implementation of other prevention efforts, including vaccination, masking and physical distancing. “
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