The
camp had followed some but not all of the CDC mitigation steps against
the spread of the new coronavirus -- but was not enough to keep campers
and staff free of illness.
"Settings,
like multi-day, overnight summer camps, pose a unique challenge when it
comes to preventing the spread of infectious diseases considering the
amount of time campers and staff members spend in close proximity," the
CDC wrote in a statement.
"Correct
and consistent use of cloth masks, rigorous cleaning and sanitizing,
social distancing, and frequent hand washing strategies, which are
recommended in CDC's recently released guidance to reopen America's
schools, are critical to prevent transmission of the virus in settings
involving children and are our greatest tools to prevent COVID-19," the
CDC said.
According
to the study, published Friday in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality
Weekly Report, the camp adopted most of the components outlined in the
CDC document "Suggestions for Youth and Summer Camps," but it did not
make campers wear cloth face masks -- only the staff.
Nor did the camp open windows and doors for increased ventilation In buildings.\
Additionally, camp attendees engaged in "daily vigorous singing and cheering," which might have contributed to transmission.
The
study breaks down what happened at the camp when it opened its doors in
mid-June to more than 600 campers and more than 120 staffers.
Five
days after the start of orientation and two days after the start of the
camp session, a teenage staff member fell ill and left camp; the next
day that person was confirmed to have Covid-19. Officials began sending
campers home that day and closed the camp three days later.
The
Georgia Department of Health was notified and began its investigation
the day after the first teenage staffer fell ill. All in all, test
results were available for 344 (58%) of the 597 attendees from Georgia;
among these, 260 (76%) were positive. At least 44% -- 260 of 597 -- got
infected, although the researchers say not everyone was tested so the
rate could be even higher. The 27 out-of-state attendees were not
counted in this preliminary analysis.
Asymptomatic
infection was common and may have played a role in the spread, the
study authors said. Among 136 cases with available information on
symptoms, 36 patients -- 26% -- reported no symptoms. Of the 100 who
reported symptoms, those most commonly reported were subjective or
documented fever, headache and sore throat.
Interestingly,
a higher percentage of the youngest children tested positive: 51% among
those age 6-10 years, 44% among those age 11-17 years, and 33% among
those aged 18-21 years tested positive.
"This
investigation adds to the body of evidence demonstrating that children
of all ages are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and, contrary to
early reports, might play an important role in transmission," the study
authors wrote.
They also found the
attack rate increased with increasing length of time spent at the camp,
with staff members having the highest attack rate at 56%.
"These
findings demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 spread efficiently in a
youth-centric overnight setting, resulting in high attack rates among
persons in all age groups, despite efforts by camp officials to
implement most recommended strategies to prevent transmission," the
study authors wrote.
The CDC study didn't name the camp.
CNN reported on an overnight camp
with locations in north Georgia that earlier this month closed after
positive Covid-19 tests, and have reached back out to ask if it was the
camp in the study.