Emerging Infectious Diseases (Jun 2021)

Epidemiologic Evidence for Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during Church Singing, Australia, 2020

  • Anthea L. Katelaris,
  • Jessica Wells,
  • Penelope Clark,
  • Sophie Norton,
  • Rebecca Rockett,
  • Alicia Arnott,
  • Vitali Sintchenko,
  • Stephen Corbett,
  • Shopna K. Bag

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2706.210465
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 27, no. 6
pp. 1677 – 1680

Abstract

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An outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection occurred among church attendees after an infectious chorister sang at multiple services. We detected 12 secondary case-patients. Video recordings of the services showed that case-patients were seated in the same section, up to 15 m from the primary case-patient, without close physical contact, suggesting airborne transmission.

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