Four night camps in Maine effectively recognized and drove away 3 other people who were positive for Covid-19 without symptoms, preventing transmission to more than 1,000 campers and this summer, according to a new report published through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For many children, summer camp looked and felt a little different this year. There were temperature controls, more outdoor time and face masks. Dr. Laura Blaisdell of the Maine Medical Center Research Institute and her colleagues said the extra effort had been worth it.
They detailed where the camps were located in a report that examined 642 youth and 380 who attended the four Maine camps for more than a month between June and August.
The camp participants traveled through the United States and six foreign locations: Bermuda, Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Spain and the United Kingdom. They were quarantined up to 14 days before arriving at the camp and 3 of the sites asked the campers to send the Covid-19 verification effects before participating.
This is a vital step in preventing the advent of the virus in a context where many young adults may be simply asymptomatic or presymptomatic, Blaisdell and his colleagues wrote in the CDC’s weekly report.
Camp participants separated into teams upon arrival and had to wear a mask to interact with other people outdoors on their teams. The camps kept the surfaces blank and the equipment physically distant. They changed the use of the bathroom and meal times. Campers were also screened daily for symptoms of fever and coronavirus.
Most of the participants were re-tested for Covid-19 a few days after arriving at the camp. It was then that an asymptomatic camper and two members tested positive, according to the report. They were temporarily removed until they recovered and their contacts were quarantined for 14 days.
None of the contacts tested for Covid-19, according to the CDC report.
The report noted that this was not a specific precaution that had helped prevent the spread of coronavirus in these camps, but a multi-level strategy that had been thoroughly implemented.
Maine summer camps with camps in Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia, which were forced to close after previous cases and outbreaks this summer.
The Georgian holiday camp experienced an epidemic in June, with 44% of its participants testing positive for Covid-19. Although the camp followed safe protection rules, campers had to wear a mask and the interior spaces were well ventilated.
The CDC reported that about 26% of those who tested positive in the Georgia camp reported no symptoms, suggesting that an asymptomatic infection probably played a role in the outbreak.
As schools across the country return to the session, the other effects of these summer camps can serve as a roadmap to prevent the spread of coronavirus in giant groups.
The CDC recently updated its rules to imply that others who have been exposed to someone who tests positive for Covid-19 may not want to get tested. Health officials have questioned the merits of the rules, adding tactile researchers who say that testing other people without coronavirus symptoms is imperative to lessen the spread of the virus.
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