9,000 infections in UK linked to Euro 2020 event: Data
NEW DELHI/LONDON: Around 9,000 cases in the UK were linked to the Euro 2020 football tournament that was held at a time the Delta variant of Covid was beginning to take hold in the country, according to official data published on Friday.
The research, part of a study to monitor the safety of holding mass events in the country, identified around 3,071 people who were potentially infectious and another 6,784 who are estimated to have acquired Covid-19 infections during the time of the tournament.
Researchers from Public Health England (PHE) said in the study that Euro 2020 “generated a significant risk to public health”. The risk, it added, also existed when the England football team played overseas. “This risk arose not just from individuals attending the event itself, but included activities undertaken during travel and associated social activities,” the study, a preprint version of which was published on Friday, noted.
Data analysed through contact tracing also found that the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy was a “superspreader” event due to the level of Covid-19 infection found in or around London’s Wembley Stadium on the day. PHE said 2,295 people were likely to have been infectious, with a further 3,404 people potentially acquiring infection at the July 11 match.
Also, US weekly infections exceeded 1 million on Friday, apparently for the first time since last winter, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg.