Religious gatherings could be killers

Physical distancing was not common

RELIGIOUS gatherings might be silent carriers of the coronavirus, especially asymptomatic carriers.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) analysed data from a group of South Africans repatriated from Pakistan in April where they were attending a religious festival. They published the results recently in a communicable diseases communiqué.

When they landed in the country, they were taken to quarantine sites where they were tested for Covid-19. Eleven of the 85 (13%) repatriates tested positive for Cocid-19 after being in quarantine for eight days in South Africa.

According to the NICD, all eleven of those who tested positive for Covid19 were asymptomatic at the time of testing and 14 days after repatriation. “Of the 65 repatriates who met the inclusion criteria, 10 who tested positive for Sars-CoV-2 were 18 to 24-yearolds and were all male. Six of these cases reported sharing a living space with five to 10 other people while attending the Jamaat in Pakistan.

“Although knowledge of the ongoing pandemic and preventive measures were widespread, social distancing and hand sanitisation was not common practice while in Pakistan, and less so at religious gatherings. In addition, five of the 10 cases had a history of smoking or were active smokers,” the NICD said.

They warned that, as in the Bloemfontein Covid-19 church cluster outbreak and in South Korea, religious gatherings might be a big factor in spreading the disease. In South Korea’s capital Seoul, the worst Covid-19 cluster originated from the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. The church was linked to up to 5 200 cases.

“As illustrated by the South Korean church outbreak and the cluster linked to a church gathering in the Free State, religious gatherings continue to provide opportunities for ongoing transmission of the Sars-CoV-2 virus. The government’s regulations stating that no gatherings should comprise more than 50 participants is an attempt to limit such transmission events through social distancing.

“Although all cases reported being asymptomatic in South Africa, a lack of information of the quarantine conditions and period in Pakistan for all the repatriates makes drawing conclusions difficult. However, the fact that half of the cases eligible for interview reported a history of smoking or were active smokers, suggests that smoking may be an important yet contentious risk factor,” the NICD said.