Back to top
Live:
Coronavirus Updates

CDC Report Examines How Quickly COVID-19 Spread Among Rural Church Attendees

A recent report from Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes how two COVID-positive attendees of a rural Arkansas church impacted their congregation and community.

In the May 19 report, researchers looked at information from attendees of a rural Arkansas church from March 6-11. Two symptomatic individuals who later tested positive for COVID-19 attended local church events during this time period. They are thought to be the primary cases of COVID-19 in the spread at the church.

The church pastor and his wife also attended the church events during March 6-8, and they both developed nonspecific respiratory symptoms and fever on March 10 (the wife) and March 11 (the pastor). It is likely they were infected at the church events during March 6-8, and the pastor might have exposed other people to COVID-19 while he was presymptomatic during a Bible study event he attended on March 11.

Among 92 attendees who went to these events, 35 later developed laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. Three people eventually died. At least 26 additional cases in the community tracing back to the church cases were confirmed, with one death.

The risk of symptomatic infection among adults over 65 years old was not higher than among adults ages 19-65 years. However, of the church attendees, six of the seven individuals hospitalized were over 65 years and the three deaths occurred in individuals over 65 years, backing U.S. data indicating higher hospitalization and death rates among individuals 65 years or older.

In addition, the report shares findings that are consistent with other reports regarding COVID-19 in children. Children represented 35% of the church's attendees, but accounted for only 18% of those tested and only 6% of confirmed cases. This is consistent with other reports that demonstrate children with COVID-19 are more asymptomatic and have lower hospitalization rates. The role of asymptomatic children in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 remains unknown. This information is an important consideration when thinking about opening public spaces, such as churches, that have high numbers of children as participants.

High transmission rates of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, have been reported from hospitals, long-term care facilities, family gatherings and choir practices. This report underscores how church events also represent a new opportunity for transmission. The report encourages faith-based groups organizing in-person operations — such as services, funerals or community events — to be aware of the high potential for transmission. Church organizers should work with local health officials to determine how to implement U.S. government guidelines for modifying said activities.

Read the full report.

In our latest HealthDay Now interview, Mabel Jong spoke to Dr. G. Caleb Alexander, a professor at Johns Hopkins who served on the FDA advisory committee that nearly unanimously advised against approving Biogen's new Alzheimer's drug. Dr. Alexander shared his thoughts on the drug's highly uncertain efficacy and discussed whether the FDA's reputation has been permanently damaged by the controversial approval of the drug.

Watch the in-depth discussion above, and see our past HealthDay Nows and other videos on our YouTube channel.

HD Live! Videos

Two world-renowned medical groups — the European Hematology Association (EHA) and the International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma (ICML) — conducted virtual meetings this month to share advances in the care of blood-based cancers.

In our latest HealthDay Now, Dr. Joshua Richter, assistant professor of medicine at the Tisch Cancer Institute, gave insights on the EHA meeting. Then, Dr. Anastasios Stathis, an oncologist and a member of this year's ICML organizing committee, joined us to discuss ICML.

Watch the in-depth discussion above, and see our past HealthDay Nows and other videos on our YouTube channel.


In our latest HealthDay Now, Mabel Jong spoke with Dr. Lori Pierce, president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and a cancer radiation specialist at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Pierce shared important takeaways from the recently concluded 2021 ASCO annual meeting and discussed why equity was the chosen theme this year.

Watch the in-depth discussion above, and see our past HealthDay Nows and other videos on our YouTube channel.

In our latest HealthDay Now, Dr. Hina Talib, a pediatrician and adolescent health specialist at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, debunks myths and common concerns parents may have about giving their children Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, which was recently approved for use in children and teens ages 12 and up.

HealthDay Now's Mabel Jong also speaks with Alan Santee, a high school freshman from Massachusetts, about why he didn't hesitate to get vaccinated, and Ethan Lindenberger, a 20-year-old vaccine advocate from Ohio, about his experience having a mom who is anti-vaccine and how kids and parents can approach these conversations.

Watch the in-depth discussion above, and see our past HealthDay Nows and other videos on our YouTube channel.

Watch our latest HealthDay Now to hear about the state of mental health and why many people fear returning to their social and work lives.

HealthDay's Mabel Jong spoke to Dr. Vivian Pender, president of the American Psychiatric Association, and Sherry Amatenstein, a social worker and therapist who has been dealing with these anxieties herself.

Watch the in-depth discussion above, and see our past HealthDay Nows and other videos on our YouTube channel.

Watch our latest HealthDay Now for a preview of the American College of Physicians Annual Meeting 2021, covering topics like the alarming shortage of primary care physicians, bringing basic health delivery needs to rural residents, and why the ACP will focus on privacy concerns at its conference.

HealthDay Now's Mabel Jong speaks with Dr. Jacqueline Fincher, president of the American College of Physicians and an internist in a rural community in Georgia.

Watch the in-depth discussion above, and see our past HealthDay Nows and other videos on our YouTube channel.

Watch our latest HealthDay Now as we cover the latest on the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine investigation. An independent advisory panel to the CDC is waiting on additional information before making recommendations on the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine after reports about rare blood clots.

Mabel Jong from our liveblog team speaks with Lynn Bahta, a member of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and a clinical expert for vaccines at the Minnesota Department of Health.

Watch the in-depth discussion above, and see our past HealthDay Nows and other videos on our YouTube channel.

Watch our latest HealthDay Now as we recap the highlights of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2021.

Mabel Jong from our liveblog team speaks with Dr. Antoni Ribas, former president of the American Association for Cancer Research and professor of medicine at UCLA, and Anna Plym, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Watch the in-depth discussion above, and see our past HealthDay Nows and other videos on our YouTube channel.

Watch our latest HealthDay Now as we dive into the latest details on multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).

Mabel Jong from our liveblog team speaks with Dr. Mary Beth Son, Program Director of Boston Children's Hospital's Rheumatology Program, and Brian Padla, father of James Padla, who has MIS-C.

Watch the in-depth discussion above, and see our past HealthDay Nows and other videos on our YouTube channel.