Tuesday, May 30, 2023

13% Of April Atlanta CDC Conference Attendees Get COVID

ATLANTA, GA -- CDC’s 2023 Epidemic Intelligence Service Conference brought together approximately 1,800 in-person and 400 virtual attendees during April 24–27, 2023, in a hotel conference facility in Atlanta, Georgia. 

On Thursday, April 27, several in-person attendees notified conference organizers that they had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. That same day, EIS leaders made an announcement at the conference about potential cases and took action to reduce further spread connected with the conference and related events. 

After the conference ended, CDC received additional reports of attendees testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 and worked with the Georgia Department of Public Health to initiate a rapid assessment. The goals were to learn more about transmission that occurred and add to our understanding as we transition to the next phase of COVID-19 surveillance and response.

The rapid assessment team surveyed in-person attendees from May 5–12 about their COVID-19 testing results and healthcare-seeking behavior. Among 1,443 survey respondents (over 80% of the in-person attendees):

-181 (13%) respondents reported testing positive for SARS-CoV-2
-Of those who reported testing positive, 52% reported no known prior COVID-19 infection
-1,435 (99.4%) of respondents reported at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose
-49 (27%) of the respondents who tested positive received antiviral medications
-70% of respondents reported not wearing a mask
None were hospitalized

Based on the CDC’s survey of attendees, only 30% of attendees reported wearing a mask at the conference, despite presumed high levels of education and interest in public health among attendees.

Nearly every respondent reported receiving at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, and none of the 181 people who reported testing positive were hospitalized.

Not surprisingly, there was an increased chance of infection the longer participants attended the conference and the more events they participated in. Specifically, respondents who tested positive reported attending the conference on average for all four days, and the risk of infection was 70% greater among those who attended for three or more days versus those who attended for two or fewer days.

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