A bar opening event in rural Illinois in February was related to 46 cases of Covid-19, a school closure affecting 650 children and the hospitalization of a long-term resident, according to the US Centers for Disease Control. Disease Prevention and Control Morbidity and Mortality Weekly report on Monday.
The Illinois Department of Public Health identified 29 individuals who tested positive for Covid-19 or who had symptoms similar to Covid-19 within 14 days of the event. All 29 cases were confirmed by Covid-19 antigen or nucleic acid amplification tests, except for one probable symptomatic case that did not receive the test.
These bar-goers had close contact with at least 71 other people. Of the 37 nearby contacts tested for Covid-19, 17 tested positive within 14 days of contact.
Two of Covid-19’s secondary cases were student-athletes in close contact with a Covid-19 bar-goer who attended indoor sports and face-to-face classes. The school district closed for two weeks from February 18, after 13 employees were unable to work due to isolation, quarantine or their quarantined children.
Three of Covid-19’s secondary cases were residents of long-term care institutions in close contact with a bartender who worked as a certified nursing assistant. The nurse tested positive for Covid-19 four days after the bar opening event. One of these secondary cases of Covid-19 was hospitalized within 14 days after the positive test result and was discharged the same day.
Two weeks after the event, the average daily incidence of Covid-19 over seven days in the county more than doubled to at least 86 cases per 100,000 people, according to the report.
“Bars may play a role in the spread of COVID-19 by the community due to limited mask use when eating or drinking and a lack of consistent physical distance,” wrote the authors in the report. “These findings show that the transmission of SARS- CoVs originating in a business like a bar not only affect the customers and employees of the bar, but they can also affect an entire community. “
The event was held indoors, with no external air flow. Participants cited the inconsistent use of a mask and disregard for the 1.8m physical distance guidelines. Although the total number of people who attended the event is unknown, the bar can accommodate about 100 people.
The high percentage of symptomatic people linked to the event, 82.6%, as well as the reluctance of many people to disclose contacts, suggest that the actual case count was higher than found, according to the CDC report.
“As community businesses begin to reopen, these findings underscore the importance of companies and individuals adhering to public health prevention and mitigation guidelines to reduce additional transmission from the community, including isolation after receiving a COVID-19 diagnosis. and while experiencing symptoms similar to those of COVID-19, even with the expansion of vaccination efforts ”, wrote the authors.