CHICAGO — A central Illinois church camp and conference held in mid-June led to 180 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, including among 29 people who were fully vaccinated, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.
In late June, state health officials said 85 people had caught the illness following the camp and conference. The new CDC report includes more recent information, as of Aug. 13.
The two outbreaks occurred in Schuyler and Adams counties and were tied to those who attended The Crossing Camp in Rushville, between June 13 and June 17, and a nearby men’s conference, sponsored by the same organization.
Among the 180 cases, 122 were among those who went to the camp and conference, and 58 were among close contacts of people who attended, according to the CDC report. Most of those 58 close contacts were infected by members of their households.
Attempts to reach the camp and its affiliated church, The Crossing, for comment were not immediately successful Tuesday. The church describes itself on its website as a “non-denominational Christian church with locations in Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa.”
No proof of vaccination or COVID-19 testing was required prior to arriving at the camp, and masks were not on a list of suggested items to bring, according to the CDC.
The camp was for people ages 14 to 18, who stayed in large, shared boarding facilities with 100 campers each and ate together in a cafeteria.
In all, 26% of the 335 campers and staff members got confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19, according to the CDC report.
The conference was held at a different location and included 500 attendees and 30 staff members. The conference also did not require vaccinations, tests or masks.
Of the 180 people with probable and confirmed cases of COVID-19, five had to be hospitalized. No one died. None of the vaccinated people who got breakthrough cases had to be hospitalized.
“The high rate of transmission was likely driven by the number of persons infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant."
The report showed, once again, that vaccinated people can spread COVID-19. Of the 122 people from the camp and conference who caught the illness, 18 were fully vaccinated. Eight close contacts of those 18 fully vaccinated people then got it, including four people who were fully vaccinated.
In all, there were 29 cases among fully vaccinated people.
Of 31 infected people whose who had specimens sequenced, 87% had the delta variant.
“The high rate of transmission was likely driven by the number of persons infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant,” according to the CDC report.
The delta variant is more contagious than previous versions and now accounts for almost all new cases in the U.S., according to the CDC.
The report also noted that 21 outbreaks at overnight camps in Illinois had been reported as of Aug. 7, “reinforcing the importance of COVID-19 prevention measures at these camps, including identifying infected persons through prearrival and screening testing programs and consistent implementation of other prevention efforts, including vaccination, masking, and physical distancing.”
Overall, 1,127 people from at least four states were exposed to the coronavirus because they went to the camp or conference or were close contacts of people with camp or conference-associated cases.
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