Abstract
Objective: In April 2022, the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) COVID-19 Contact Tracing & Epidemiology Program identified an outbreak associated with an indoor student gala. This study’s aims were to characterize COVID-19 transmission dynamics and measure symptom severity among cases. Participants: The study population included UIC-affiliated gala attendees. Outbreak-associated cases tested positive for COVID-19 between April 2 and April 11, 2022. Attendees who did not test positive or develop symptoms within ten days of the event were classified as contacts. Methods: We ascertained cases through phone-based contact tracing and a survey and evaluated symptom severity using a novel classification system. Results: Among 307 UIC students registered to attend the gala, the minimum attack rate was 14.0%. Approximately 56% of cases were mildly symptomatic, and 38.9% reported severe symptoms. Conclusions: Our findings align with prior research documenting heightened transmissibility of Omicron-variant-related strains and highlight the need for nuanced symptom assessment methodologies.
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