Here’s what experts learned about COVID-19 spread after outbreak at Georgia summer camp
Limiting the spread of coronavirus at crowded, multi-day summer camps can be tough, even with the proper prevention measures in place, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report [MMWR], published Friday, shows mitigation efforts — including mask wearing and frequent cleanings — did little to prevent an outbreak at a YMCA camp in north Georgia in June.
High Harbour Camp closed after a teen counselor tested positive for COVID-19, McClatchy News previously reported. The number of reported infections continued climbing after the closing, with at least 85 kids and counselors coming down with the virus after their time at the camp’s Lake Burton location.
“A great deal of thought and planning went into the decision to hold Camp High Harbour,” Lauren Koontz, President and CEO of the YMCA of Metro Atlanta, told 11 Alive at the time. “In preparing for camp, we collaborated with the Centers for Disease Control and the American Camp Association [and] followed the safety guidelines and protocols of the executive order from the State of Georgia.”
The camp followed most of the CDC’s safety guidelines for youth and summer camps amid the pandemic — but not all, according to the MMWR.
Staff members were required to wear cloth face masks. The camp’s nearly 600 attendees were not, however. Campers were also grouped in cabins where occupancy averaged 15 people at a time, and engaged in various indoor and outdoor activities that included “vigorous singing and cheering,” the report states.
Windows and doors also weren’t left open to improve ventilation.
“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,” researchers wrote. “Asymptomatic infection was common and potentially contributed to undetected transmission, as has been previously reported.”
Researchers also said the findings are the latest in a growing body of evidence suggesting children of all ages are susceptible to the virus and may play “an important role” in its spread.
The average age of High Harbour’s counselors and trainees was 17, while the average age of campers was 12, according to the CDC.
A teen counselor left the camp after developing chills on June 23. The following day, she was tested for coronavirus and reported a positive result, according to the report. Campers were sent home starting June 24, and the camp was officially closed June 27.
The Georgia Department of Public Health, which was notified of the incident June 25, launched an investigation and advised all attendees to get tested and self-quarantine, the report reads.
In their analysis, researchers found that the overall “attack rate” was 44%, with counselors and staff reporting the highest rate at 56% due to their prolonged time at the camp. (Staff arrived to Lake Burton four days ahead of campers on June 17). The median cabin attack rate was 50% in 28 of the camp’s 31 lodges that had a confirmed COVID-19 case, according to the report.
Test results were available for 344 (58%) camp attendees. More than two-thirds (76%) were positive, the report shows.
“The multiple measures adopted by the camp were not sufficient to prevent an outbreak in the context of substantial community transmission,” researchers wrote.
The CDC analysis came with a few limitations, however.
The agency notes the attack rates could be underestimated because some cases may have been missed or the test results not reported. There’s also the chance that campers were infected before or after their time at the overnight camp.
Lastly, researchers said they have no way of gauging an attendee’s “individual adherence” to measures aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19, such as social distancing and frequent hand washing.
Research into the transmission of the virus remains ongoing, the CDC said.
This story was originally published July 31, 2020 at 1:34 PM with the headline "Here’s what experts learned about COVID-19 spread after outbreak at Georgia summer camp."