A North Georgia YMCA camp was responsible for a COVID-19 outbreak in June and a new report released yesterday by the CDC now says it affected as many as 260 people. That figure more than tripled since an earlier report released a few weeks ago. This was one of the largest superspreading events in the state, according to the AJC.
The camp is YMCA Camp High Harbour, identified in the report as “Camp A.” As of July 10, only about 85 cases were linked to the location in Lake Burton.
The report released also gives attention to the rapid spread among kids and teens in this case in order to better evaluate how schools and colleges can prevent the same from happening as schools begin to reopen.
Original article published on July 5:
The Georgia Department of Public Health is seeing an increase of COVID-19 cases in staff and children who have recently attended a YMCA camp, according to a report from the AJC.
The AJC reports there have been at least 30 confirmed cases of COVID-19 at YMCA camps at Lake Burton and Lake Allatoona. Officials from the Georgia Department of Public Health say these numbers could be higher, as it is possible for an individual to test negative, then develop symptoms later.
This report comes after YMCA Camp High Harbour closed both of its locations last week when a counselor at the Lake Burton camp in Rabun County tested positive for the virus. The YMCA said all its counselors and campers had passed a mandatory screening prior to the identification of this case.
YMCA staff are encouraging parents of children who have recently attended a camp to speak with a state health department investigation supervisor and case investigator to determine if they should take a COVID-19 test, according to the AJC.
The Department of Public Health is conducting contact tracing, as staff and campers come from various locations across the state.
According to the AJC, YMCA campers are ages 7-15, while staff are ages 16-22.
