Dynamics, outcomes and prerequisites of the first SARS-CoV-2 superspreading event in Germany in February 2020: a cross-sectional epidemiological study
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Abstract
The first German SARS-CoV-2 outbreak was a superspreading event in Gangelt, North Rhine-Westphalia, during indoor carnival festivities called ‘Kappensitzung’ (15 February 2020). We determined SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR positivity rate, SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies, and analysed the conditions and dynamics of superspreading, including ventilation, setting dimensions, distance from infected persons and behavioural patterns.
Design
In a cross-sectional epidemiological study (51 days postevent), participants were asked to give blood, pharyngeal swabs and complete self-administered questionnaires.
Setting
The SARS-CoV-2 superspreading event took place during festivities in the small community of Gangelt in February 2020. This 5-hour event included 450 people (6–79 years of age) in a building of 27 m × 13.20 m × 4.20 m.
Participants
Out of 450 event participants, 411 volunteered to participate in this study.
Primary and secondary outcome measures
Primary outcome: infection status (determined by IgG ELISA). Secondary outcome: symptoms (determined by questionnaire).
Results
Overall, 46% (n=186/404) of participants had been infected, and their spatial distribution was associated with proximity to the ventilation system (OR 1.39, 95% CI 0.86 to 2.25). Risk of infection was highly associated with age: children (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.267 to 0.414) and young adults (age 18–25 years) had a lower risk of infection than older participants (average risk increase of 28% per 10 years). Behavioural differences were also risk associated including time spent outside (OR 0.55, (95% CI 0.33 to 0.91) or smoking (OR 0.32, 95% CI 0.124 to 0.81).
Conclusions
Our findings underline the importance of proper indoor ventilation for future events. Lower susceptibility of children/young adults indicates their limited involvement in superspreading.
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SciScore for 10.1101/2021.09.01.21262540: (What is this?)
Please note, not all rigor criteria are appropriate for all manuscripts.
Table 1: Rigor
Ethics Consent: All study participants provided written informed consent before enrolment.
IRB: The Ethics Committee of the Medical Faculty of the University of Bonn approved the study (approval number 085/20).Sex as a biological variable not detected. Randomization not detected. Blinding not detected. Power Analysis not detected. Cell Line Authentication not detected. Table 2: Resources
Experimental Models: Cell Lines Sentences Resources 120 mL of each plasma dilution was mixed with 80 plaque-forming units (PFU) of SARS-CoV-2 in 120 mL OptiPRO SFM (GIBCO) cell culture medium and seeded with 1.25×105 Vero E6 cells/well. Vero E6suggested: RRID:CVCL_XD71)Recombinant DNA Sentences Resources The data were gathered on … SciScore for 10.1101/2021.09.01.21262540: (What is this?)
Please note, not all rigor criteria are appropriate for all manuscripts.
Table 1: Rigor
Ethics Consent: All study participants provided written informed consent before enrolment.
IRB: The Ethics Committee of the Medical Faculty of the University of Bonn approved the study (approval number 085/20).Sex as a biological variable not detected. Randomization not detected. Blinding not detected. Power Analysis not detected. Cell Line Authentication not detected. Table 2: Resources
Experimental Models: Cell Lines Sentences Resources 120 mL of each plasma dilution was mixed with 80 plaque-forming units (PFU) of SARS-CoV-2 in 120 mL OptiPRO SFM (GIBCO) cell culture medium and seeded with 1.25×105 Vero E6 cells/well. Vero E6suggested: RRID:CVCL_XD71)Recombinant DNA Sentences Resources The data were gathered on paper-based Case Report Forms (pCRF). pCRFsuggested: NoneSoftware and Algorithms Sentences Resources Data was entered as double-data-entry into the REDCAp study database programmed and hosted by SZB. REDCApsuggested: (REDCap, RRID:SCR_003445)Results from OddPub: We did not detect open data. We also did not detect open code. Researchers are encouraged to share open data when possible (see Nature blog).
Results from LimitationRecognizer: An explicit section about the limitations of the techniques employed in this study was not found. We encourage authors to address study limitations.Results from TrialIdentifier: No clinical trial numbers were referenced.
Results from Barzooka: We did not find any issues relating to the usage of bar graphs.
Results from JetFighter: We did not find any issues relating to colormaps.
Results from rtransparent:- Thank you for including a conflict of interest statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
- Thank you for including a funding statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
- No protocol registration statement was detected.
Results from scite Reference Check: We found no unreliable references.
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