Residents face the COVID-19 test at Pritzker College Prep High School in the Hermosa area on November 30, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois.
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A local bar that opened in rural Illinois County in early February has been linked to at least 46 new cases of coronavirus and the closure of the school that affected 650 children, according to a study to combat and prevent disease .
The per capita score has doubled due to the opening of the bar, the CDC said. Prior to the event, the country had an average of up to 42 cases per 100,000 people over seven days. The daily case more than doubled on average 14 days after opening, the CDC said.
The case, highlighted in a research article released Monday, provides more evidence of how weddings and gatherings at restaurants and nightclubs have the potential to become an extremely widespread event for Covid-19.
After a regular investigation into the matter, local health officials identified a group of cases related to a handful of people at the opening of the bar inside, including one participant who had been diagnosed with asymptomatic diagnosis Covid-19 the previous day. Four people who had symptoms and later tested positive for the virus were also there that evening.
“These findings show that opening institutions such as bars, where mask wear and physical distance are difficult, can increase the risk of community transmission,” the CDC said.
One bartender who later tested positive had 26 close contacts they had when they were in school for indoor sports or personal tuition. Two student-athletes also tested positive, leading to local officials closing the school district after possibly exposing more than a dozen staff members.
Another bartender worked at a long-term care facility where a staff member and two residents were identified as positive days after the event. At least one resident was admitted to the hospital before being released the same day. No one was vaccinated.
On Feb. 26, 12 people in eight different homes who were in contact with people who were at the bar that night tested positive for Covid-19, including five school-age children, according to the study. No one was admitted to the hospital.
“This investigation further demonstrates that inconsistent mask use and insufficient physical distance in an indoor environment can increase transmission risk,” the CDC wrote. “[Covid-19] transfer that arises from a business like a bar not only affects the customers and employees of the bar but can also affect an entire community. ‘
The CDC said the findings were subject to at least four restrictions. First, the interviews were voluntary and many members of the community did not provide complete information, so the number of cases reported in the study is likely to be lower than the actual number of cases.
It was also likely that not all asymptomatic cases were counted and that not all contacts were tested. Information on individual behaviors such as wearing masks and social distance was not collected from people with positive results. Finally, specimens were not available for sequencing for the entire genome, so it could not be determined whether the variation of Covid strains was to blame for the increase in transmission.
According to the CDC, a multi-component approach should be applied, such as the application of proper masking, social distance, reduction of indoor capacity, adequate ventilation and contact detection, to prevent the spread of the virus before opening establishments such as bars and restaurants.