260 Campers and Staff Members Contract COVID-19 at Georgia Summer Camp

After one staff member was sent home with symptoms, the CDC tracked 344 campers and staffers and found that 76 percent contracted the virus.

August 1, 2020

Contrary to early beliefs, young people are not immune to contracting and transmitting COVID-19.

After one Georgia summer camp sent a sick counselor home, the CDC was able to track more than 250 positive cases among the camp’s staff and campers.

A new research paper released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows just how quickly COVID-19 can spread among young people in conditions similar to this overnight camp, where campers and staff—mostly between the ages of six and 19—slept and ate in close quarters.

The camp, dubbed “Camp A,” sent campers and staffers home after one teen counselor fell ill on June 23 and tested positive for the virus. In the weeks that followed, the CDC was able to obtain tests from 344 out of 597 people at the camp and found that 260 or 76 percent were positive for the virus.

The CDC did not report any deaths, but 74 percent of those who tested positive for COVID-19 experienced some kind of symptoms. Despite having a lower rate of death, new studies are showing long lasting side effects caused by having coronavirus, even in young people.

"This investigation adds to the body of evidence demonstrating that children of all ages are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and, contrary to early reports, might play an important role in transmission," the study reads.

The camp reportedly did not require campers to wear masks; only staff. This outbreak contributed to the south’s rising numbers of positive cases. As of this post, Georgia has over 170,000 positive cases and more than 3,600 deaths.