'Superspreading' events, triggered by people who may be asymptomatic, propel virus pandemic

Jul 20, 20200

Shelly Yang – Kansas City Star/TNS count

Crowds of people gathered at Coconuts Caribbean Beach Bar & Grill in Gravois Mills, Missouri on May 24. Researchers want to know why the Memorial Day party at Lake of the Ozarks did not spur many COVID-19 of cases, while a much smaller gathering at a Michigan bar produced nearly 200?

It wasn't until Day 7 of her team's coronavirus investigation when it dawned on Linda Vail, the health officer for Michigan's Ingham County, that this was going to be a big one. It had started with just two infections at the college bar on June 18, not long after the state began reopening. But the numbers quickly jumped to 12, then 18, then 34.

As of Friday, she was staring at a spreadsheet with 187 infected at Harper's Restaurant and Brew Pub.

"The tables were six feet apart, but no one stayed there," she said. "The DJ was playing music so people were shouting, the dance floor started to get crowded. We had flattened the curve and then boom."

https://www.startribune.com/superspreading-events-triggered-by-people-who-may-be-asymptomatic-propel-virus-pandemic/571828371/