Association between two mass-gathering outdoor events and incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections during the fifth wave of COVID-19 in north-east Spain: A population-based control-matched analysis

Development of a COVID-19 risk assessment model for participants at outdoor music festivals: evaluation of the validity and control measure effectiveness based on two actual events in Japan and Spain

“…From an ethical perspective, having studies that actively use events without adequate control measures may not be ideal ( de Vrieze, 2021 ). Some recent observational studies analyzed events with adequate control measures to assess the infection rate due to the participation in the events or factors associated with infection risk such as vaccination status ( Sami et al, 2022 ; Suñer et al, 2022 ). However, these epidemiologic studies are limited in their ability to assess the extent to which individual or combined infection control measures reduce risk.…”

“…Therefore, in this study, we focused on a cluster outbreak case that occurred during an outdoor music festival event (Event 1) with inadequate infection control measures that was held in Japan. In addition, we also targeted another outdoor music event (Event 2), where control measures including mask-wearing were in place and infection rates due to the event have been reported, held in Spain ( Suñer et al, 2022 ). The objectives of this study were as follows: First, we extended the environmental exposure model to assess the COVID-19 risk at music festivals and validate the model by comparing the model estimates at Events 1 and 2 with the actual number of reported infected individuals or estimated infection rate.…”

Outdoor mass gathering events and SARS-CoV-2 infection in Catalonia (North-East Spain)

“…reported an observational study on the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among attendees of two outdoor music festivals in Catalonia (North-East Spain) in July 2021. 1 The setting of this study is particularly interesting given the past epidemic waves in Spain, the availability of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, and the emergence of the Delta variant at that time. Insights gleaned from this and related studies will provide evidence-based guidance regarding public policies for preventing future waves of COVID-19.…”

Re-examining the importance of mask-wearing at mass gathering events

“…I read with great interest the study by Suñer et al on the association between mass gathering events and risk of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). 1 This study assessed the infection risk associated with the events based on a sophisticated control-matched design and analyzed risk factors for infection through a questionnaire survey of event participants. The latter analysis showed that 74.7% of respondents wore masks at all or most of the time during the event, and that mask-wearing was a protective factor for infection (odds ratio = 0.64 [95% confidence interval: 0.54–0.77]).…”