Summer camp.Photo: Getty
A central Illinois summer camp was the source of a COVID-19 outbreak.
On Monday, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported that a summer youth camp led to at least 85 teens and several adult staff members to test positive for the virus after a mid-June session was held with minimal COVID protocols. One unvaccinated person was also hospitalized, according to apress release.
The state health department said attendees were not required to wear masks or be vaccinated, adding that only a handful of campers and staff were vaccinated despite all being eligible.
“The majority of the 85 COVID-19 cases associated with the youth camp are among teens,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike in the statement. “The perceived risk to children may seem small, but even a mild case of COVID-19 can cause long-term health issues. Additionally, infected youth who may not experience severe illness can still spread the virus to others, including those who are too young to be vaccinated or those who don’t build the strong expected immune response to the vaccine.”
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During a separatepress conference, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the IDPH is working with the CDC to assist in the outbreak and determining whether the COVID cases involved the Delta variant. He urged the public to continue taking precautions if they aren’t vaccinated and to use this outbreak as an example of the growing threats from the virus.
“The lessons here at home and across the world are a harbinger of what could happen here, particularly in low vaccinated areas, if we don’t see a higher uptake of the vaccine across Illinois,” he said. “This is very real. I implore all residents, if you have friends and family on the fence, share with them the life-saving benefits of these free vaccines and encourage them to remain masked until they are fully vaccinated.”
Kids getting the COVID-19 vaccine.Getty
Cases from the Delta variant have spiked over the past month, and federal health experts expect it tobecome the dominant strainin the next few weeks.Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, called the Delta variant “the greatest threat in the U.S.” during a June 22 White House briefing.
The variant, which was first identified in India, has spread faster than other strains and led to more hospitalizations, though it does not appear to be more deadly. Testing also shows that the COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are nearly fully effective against the Delta strain, preventing infection in around 94% of fully vaccinated people.
source: people.com
