COVID-19 Outbreak in an Amish Community — Ohio, May 2020

Details

• Journal Article:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Personal Author:
  Ali, Hammad ; Kondapally, Karthik ; Pordell, Paran ; Taylor, Brandi ; Martinez, Gisela Medina ; Salehi, Ellen ; Ramseyer, Stacey ; Varnes, Susan ; Hayes, Nikki ; de Fijter, Sietske ; Lloyd, Spencer
• Description:
  In the United States, outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2, the Virus that causes coronaVirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), were initially reported in densely populated urban areas (1); however, outbreaks have since been reported in rural communities (2,3). Rural residents might be at higher risk for severe COVID-19-associated illness because, on average, they are older, have higher prevalences of underlying medical conditions, and have more limited access to health care services.* In May, after a cluster of seven COVID-19 cases was identified in a rural Ohio Amish community, access to tTesting was increased. Among 30 additional residents tested by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR; TaqPath COVID-19 Combo Kit),| 23 (77%) received positive test results for SARS-CoV-2. Rapid and sustained Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was associated with multiple social gatherings. Informant interviews revealed that community members were concerned about having to follow critical mitigation strategies, including social distancing| and mask wearing.| To help reduce the ongoing Transmission risk in a community, state and county health department staff members and community leaders need to work together to develop, deliver, and promote culturally responsive health education messages to prevent SARS-CoV-2 Transmission and ensure that access to tTesting services is timely and convenient. Understanding the dynamics of close-knit communities is crucial to reducing SARS-CoV-2 Transmission.
• Subjects:
  Adolescent Adult Aged Aged, 80 And Over Amish Child CoronaVirus Infections COVID-19 Disease Outbreaks Female Humans Male Middle Aged Outbreak Report Pandemics Pneumonia, Viral Rural Population Social Behavior Young Adult

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• Source:
  MMWR Morbidity Mortal Weekly Rep. 69(45):1671-1674
• Series:
  Weekly Report: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• ISSN:
  0149-2195 (print) ; 1545-861X (digital)
• Pubmed ID:
  33180753
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC7660662
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio
• Pages in Document:
  4 pdf pages
• Volume:
  69
• Issue:
  45
• Collection(s):
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:dc8358bdffbb6ce764417d668669335a0f5b648db192c361cc0db89d79dbc63bad624d8e92b6996e708c1317e8038fdf2fc11c6d427387dbbaf197e599405df8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/97458/cdc_97458_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 103.55 KB ]