A self-controlled case series study to measure the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with attendance at sporting and cultural events: the UK Events Research Programme events.

Autor: Douglas IJ; London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK., Peh J; UK Health Security Agency, London, UK., Mansfield KE; London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK., Trelfa A; UK Health Security Agency, London, UK., Fowler T; UK Health Security Agency, London, UK.; William Harvey Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK., Boulter M; UK Health Security Agency, London, UK.; Atlantic Medical Group, Penzance, UK., Cleary P; UK Health Security Agency, London, UK., Smith J; UK Health Security Agency, London, UK., Edmunds WJ; London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK. john.edmunds@lshtm.ac.uk.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: BMC medicine [BMC Med] 2024 Mar 06; Vol. 22 (1), pp. 100. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Mar 06.
DOI: 10.1186/s12916-024-03276-4
Abstrakt: Background: In 2021, whilst societies were emerging from major social restrictions during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the UK government instigated an Events Research Programme to examine the risk of COVID-19 transmission from attendance at cultural events and explore ways to enable people to attend a range of events whilst minimising risk of transmission. We aimed to measure any impact on risk of COVID-19 transmission from attendance at events held at or close to commercially viable capacity using routinely collected data.
Methods: Data were obtained on attendees at Phase 3 Events Research Programme events, for which some infection risk mitigation measures were in place (i.e. evidence of vaccination or a negative lateral flow test). Attendance data were linked with COVID-19 test result data from the UK Test and Trace system. Using a self-controlled case series design, we measured the within person incidence rate ratio for testing positive for COVID-19, comparing the rate in days 3 to 9 following event attendance (high risk period) with days 1 and 2 and 10-16 (baseline period). Rate ratios were adjusted for estimates of underlying regional COVID-19 prevalence to account for population level fluctuations in infection risk, and events were grouped into broadly similar types.
Results: From attendance data available for 188,851 attendees, 3357 people tested positive for COVID-19 during the observation period. After accounting for total testing trends over the period, incidence rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals for positive tests were 1.16 (0.53-2.57) for indoor seated events, 1.12 (0.95-1.30) for mainly outdoor seated events, 0.65 (0.51-0.83) for mainly outdoor partially seated events, and 1.70 (1.52-1.89) for mainly outdoor unseated multi-day events.
Conclusions: For the majority of event types studied in the third phase of the UK Events Research Programme, we found no evidence of an increased risk of COVID-19 transmission associated with event attendance. However, we found a 70% increased risk of infection associated with attendance at mainly outdoor unseated multi-day events. We have also demonstrated a novel use for self-controlled case series methodology in monitoring infection risk associated with event attendance.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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