An event to open the inner bar in rural Illinois in February was linked to 46 cases of COVID-19, according to a new study, which highlights the dangers of indoor gatherings in places such as bars.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study found that the event was linked to 26 COVID-19 cases in bar owners and three in bar staff, who then spread the virus to 17 other people who were not at the opening of the bar, known as “secondary cases.”
Displaying the ripple effects that an event can have, these secondary cases included 12 people from eight households with children, two in a school sports team and three in a nursing home, the study found. A school serving 650 students was closed due to the outbreak, and a resident of a nursing home was hospitalized.
The results serve as a warning, as many states lift restrictions on bars and other companies. Illinois recently delayed a new reopening stage as hospitalizations increased, but bars and restaurants are now open with capacity limits.
“These findings show that opening settings such as bars, where wearing a mask and physical distance are challenging, can increase the risk of community transmission,” the study said.
The CDC has recommended a number of measures to help reduce risk in settings such as bars, including reducing occupancy, keeping people at least six meters apart, improving ventilation and increasing outdoor seating, which is significantly safer.
The virus was introduced into the nursing home by a participant in the bar event who worked in the nursing home and was asymptomatic, resulting in an additional staff member and two infected residents. None of the four were vaccinated, even though the entire staff and residents of the nursing home were previously offered the vaccine, the study shows, which seems to highlight the issue of vaccine hesitation.
The study also shows the importance of staying home when sick or diagnosed with COVID-19. According to the study, a participant in the bar event, who was asymptomatic, had been diagnosed with COVID-19 the day before the event. Four other people showed symptoms while attending the event and were diagnosed with COVID-19 thereafter, the study said.
The bar had a capacity of about 100 people, although it is not clear how many people attended the event, the study shows. Participants did not keep their distance from each other, used an “inconsistent” mask and there was “no outside air flow”.
The level of coronavirus spread in rural Illinois County, which was not identified more than twice after the event, from about 41 cases per 100,000 people to about 86 cases per 100,000, the study found.
The indoor restaurant and bars have long been seen as risk factors for the spread of COVID-19, as they bring people inside in close contact and it is difficult to wear a mask when eating and drinking.
“Similar gatherings involving food or drink, such as dining at restaurants, weddings and nightclubs, have been associated with an increased risk of purchasing COVID-19 and have the potential to become widespread,” the study found. . .