tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J R Soc Med
. 2023 Jun 23;1410768231182389.
doi: 10.1177/01410768231182389. Online ahead of print. COVID-19 risk mitigation in reopening mass cultural events: population-based observational study for the UK Events Research Programme in Liverpool City Region
Girvan Burnside[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Christopher P Cheyne[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Gary Leeming[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Michael Humann[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Alistair Darby[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mark A Green[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Alexander Crozier[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Simon Maskell[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kay O'Halloran[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Elena Musi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Elinor Carmi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Naila Khan[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Debra Fisher[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Rhiannon Corcoran[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jake Dunning[SUP] 3 [/SUP], W John Edmunds[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Kukatharmini Tharmaratnam[SUP] 1 [/SUP], David M Hughes[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Liora Malki-Epshtein[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Malcolm Cook[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Ben M Roberts[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Eileen Gallagher[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Kate Howell[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Meera Chand[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Robin Kemp[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Matthew Boulter[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Tom Fowler[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Malcolm G Semple[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Emer Coffey[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Matt Ashton[SUP] 1 7 [/SUP]; COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium; Marta García-Fiñana[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Iain E Buchan[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Objectives: To understand severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission risks, perceived risks and the feasibility of risk mitigations from experimental mass cultural events before coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) restrictions were lifted.
Design: Prospective, population-wide observational study.
Setting: Four events (two nightclubs, an outdoor music festival and a business conference) open to Liverpool City Region UK residents, requiring a negative lateral flow test (LFT) within the 36 h before the event, but not requiring social distancing or face-coverings.
Participants: A total of 12,256 individuals attending one or more events between 28 April and 2 May 2021.
Main outcome measures: SARS-CoV-2 infections detected using audience self-swabbed (5-7 days post-event) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, with viral genomic analysis of cases, plus linked National Health Service COVID-19 testing data. Audience experiences were gathered via questionnaires, focus groups and social media. Indoor CO[SUB]2[/SUB] concentrations were monitored.
Results: A total of 12 PCR-positive cases (likely 4 index, 8 primary or secondary), 10 from the nightclubs. Two further cases had positive LFTs but no PCR. A total of 11,896 (97.1%) participants with scanned tickets were matched to a negative pre-event LFT: 4972 (40.6%) returned a PCR within a week. CO[SUB]2[/SUB] concentrations showed areas for improving ventilation at the nightclubs. Population infection rates were low, yet with a concurrent outbreak of >50 linked cases around a local swimming pool without equivalent risk mitigations. Audience anxiety was low and enjoyment high.
Conclusions: We observed minor SARS-CoV-2 transmission and low perceived risks around events when prevalence was low and risk mitigations prominent. Partnership between audiences, event organisers and public health services, supported by information systems with real-time linked data, can improve health security for mass cultural events.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2 transmission; cultural events; mass gatherings; respiratory virus risk mitigation.
. 2023 Jun 23;1410768231182389.
doi: 10.1177/01410768231182389. Online ahead of print. COVID-19 risk mitigation in reopening mass cultural events: population-based observational study for the UK Events Research Programme in Liverpool City Region
Girvan Burnside[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Christopher P Cheyne[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Gary Leeming[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Michael Humann[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Alistair Darby[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mark A Green[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Alexander Crozier[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Simon Maskell[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kay O'Halloran[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Elena Musi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Elinor Carmi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Naila Khan[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Debra Fisher[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Rhiannon Corcoran[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jake Dunning[SUP] 3 [/SUP], W John Edmunds[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Kukatharmini Tharmaratnam[SUP] 1 [/SUP], David M Hughes[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Liora Malki-Epshtein[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Malcolm Cook[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Ben M Roberts[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Eileen Gallagher[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Kate Howell[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Meera Chand[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Robin Kemp[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Matthew Boulter[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Tom Fowler[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Malcolm G Semple[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Emer Coffey[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Matt Ashton[SUP] 1 7 [/SUP]; COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium; Marta García-Fiñana[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Iain E Buchan[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 37351911
- DOI: 10.1177/01410768231182389
Objectives: To understand severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission risks, perceived risks and the feasibility of risk mitigations from experimental mass cultural events before coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) restrictions were lifted.
Design: Prospective, population-wide observational study.
Setting: Four events (two nightclubs, an outdoor music festival and a business conference) open to Liverpool City Region UK residents, requiring a negative lateral flow test (LFT) within the 36 h before the event, but not requiring social distancing or face-coverings.
Participants: A total of 12,256 individuals attending one or more events between 28 April and 2 May 2021.
Main outcome measures: SARS-CoV-2 infections detected using audience self-swabbed (5-7 days post-event) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, with viral genomic analysis of cases, plus linked National Health Service COVID-19 testing data. Audience experiences were gathered via questionnaires, focus groups and social media. Indoor CO[SUB]2[/SUB] concentrations were monitored.
Results: A total of 12 PCR-positive cases (likely 4 index, 8 primary or secondary), 10 from the nightclubs. Two further cases had positive LFTs but no PCR. A total of 11,896 (97.1%) participants with scanned tickets were matched to a negative pre-event LFT: 4972 (40.6%) returned a PCR within a week. CO[SUB]2[/SUB] concentrations showed areas for improving ventilation at the nightclubs. Population infection rates were low, yet with a concurrent outbreak of >50 linked cases around a local swimming pool without equivalent risk mitigations. Audience anxiety was low and enjoyment high.
Conclusions: We observed minor SARS-CoV-2 transmission and low perceived risks around events when prevalence was low and risk mitigations prominent. Partnership between audiences, event organisers and public health services, supported by information systems with real-time linked data, can improve health security for mass cultural events.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2 transmission; cultural events; mass gatherings; respiratory virus risk mitigation.