CDC: Anime convention not a superspreader

Right when the omicron variant was first detected, public health officials feared an anime convention in New York City would set off a massive spread of the virus; much like a biotech convention in Boston did in February 2020.

But in one of the more encouraging signs in recent years, that didn’t happen. Indoor mask wearing, a vaccine requirement, booster shots and a high-quality air filtration system in the Javits Center largely prevented the virus’s transmission, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigation found.

“These findings reinforce the importance of implementing multiple, simultaneous prevention measures, such as ensuring up-to-date vaccination, mask use, physical distancing, and improved ventilation in limiting SARS-CoV-2 transmission, during large, indoor events,” the CDC said.

Among 4,560 attendees with available test results, just 119 people tested positive for COVID-19, a rate of only 2.6 percent.

The anime convention attracted tens of thousands of people from 52 U.S. jurisdictions and 30 countries from Nov. 19-21. The convention required attendees to have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine dose and enforced mask-use while indoors.

Omicron spread: All cases of omicron from the convention were traced back to one group of 23 friends, who were close contacts of someone who tested positive. From that group, 16 of them received a positive test result.