Public health officials on Wednesday urged gym-goers to wear masks when exercising and to stay two meters away, as new research described the rapid spread of coronavirus infections during high-intensity exercise classes at health clubs. Honolulu and Chicago.
Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have advised fitness clubs to take a variety of measures to prevent outbreaks, including wearing a suitable mask and reminding the gym and team members to stay home if they experience symptoms of illness or get tested. positive for the virus.
Breathing heavily during intense physical activity in closed spaces increases the chances of transmission, and fitness teachers who shouted exercise instructions to members may also have contributed to the spread, the CDC research found. Exercising outdoors or taking virtual gym classes can help reduce the risk of infection, the authors note.
“It is very important for people who would like to go to a gym and exercise to be aware of what Covid-19 symptoms are and to be aware that if you are feeling something like a Covid-19 symptom, stay home as a precaution, ”said Richard A. Teran, an epidemiologist at the CDC in Chicago who was one of the authors of the Chicago case study published on Wednesday.
At a gym in Chicago, Dr. Teran and his colleagues identified 55 coronavirus infections among 81 people who attended high-intensity face-to-face gym classes between August 24 and September 1.
Among them were 22 people who attended classes the day they developed the first symptoms of the disease or the day after. Three went to an exercise class on the day they received a positive test result indicating they had been infected, or the next day. In all, 43 members of the academy who tested positive participated in classes when they were possibly infectious, the researchers said.
The outbreak occurred even though classes at the gym were limited to 25 percent of their normal size, with only 10 to 15 people present.
Members were required to wear masks when entering the gym, when they had their temperature measured and assessed for symptoms. But they were allowed to remove the masks during the exercise; those who were infected were more likely to wear masks only rarely during classes, the researchers found.
In Hawaii, public health researchers linked 21 infections to a 37-year-old male fitness instructor in Honolulu who taught at various facilities and developed Covid-19 symptoms – body aches, chills, headaches and coughs – in late June , according to a CDC report published on Wednesday.
On June 29, just hours before his first symptoms, he gave an exercise bike class with 10 participants, in which no one wore a mask. All participants tested positive in early July, including a 46-year-old man who worked as a fitness trainer at another facility. He became seriously ill and was hospitalized in an intensive care unit.
Twelve hours before the instructor experienced his first symptoms, he performed several small kickboxing sessions and a personal training session. Of 11 people exposed, 10 were infected and tested positive in early July. All 10 developed Covid’s symptoms and one was hospitalized in the intensive care unit.
On July 22, the city of Honolulu approved emergency orders requiring facial coverage at fitness centers, including during exercise. Before that, members of the gym were able to remove the facial covering during exercise.
Health clubs and gyms have been hard hit since last March, when the pandemic occurred. They were among the first deals closed last spring and are now looking forward to getting customers back.
The International Health Racquet and Sportsclub Association, an industry group, recently reported that 15% of clubs and studios in the country had closed last fall, and more closings and bankruptcies were expected. The association has encouraged the return to the academies, adopting the slogan “Exercise is vital!”
Many clubs have implemented new safety protocols and have taken steps to improve ventilation, update air filtration systems and maximize outside air circulation, said Alex Larcom, the association’s senior health promotion and policy manager.
The outbreaks described in the CDC studies were caused by inconsistent use of masks and other lapses in behavior and, perhaps, by buildings with inadequate ventilation, she said.
“In Chicago, there were members who went to class when they were symptomatic or positive for Covid,” said Larcom. This facility was not originally designed to be a fitness center, she added, and the symptom tracking appears to have been poorly performed.
“Across society, we have people who are sick or think they are sick to leave society,” she said. Those who went to the gym even with the symptoms “probably also went to the supermarket, went out to eat and went around the community”.
CDC researchers emphasized that a multifaceted approach to safety is necessary in fitness facilities, including good ventilation, consistent and correct use of the mask, persistent reminders that staff and customers should stay home when they are sick and additional stations to wash their hands. hands.
“Nothing is 100% secure,” said Larcom. “There is never a zero risk. But clubs are not the main driver of Covid’s spread. “