SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (KWQC) – The Illinois Department of Public Health reports that 85 teens and adult staff members at a summer youth camp held in mid-June in central Illinois have tested positive for COVID-19.  One unvaccinated, young adult had to be hospitalized. 

Health officials say only a handful of campers and staff members were vaccinated and masks were not require while indoors. They are also reminding people about the importance of vaccination, including youth, as variants of the virus continue to spread.

“The majority of the 85 COVID-19 cases associated with the youth camp are among teens,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike.  “The perceived risk to children may seem small, but even a mild case of COVID-19 can cause long-term health issues.  Additionally, infected youth who may not experience severe illness can still  spread the virus to others, including those who are too young to be vaccinated or those who don’t build the strong expected immune response to the vaccine.,” she added.

In fact a few people who were at the camp also attended a nearby conference, which resulted in 11 additional cases. The outbreaks occurred in Schuyler and Adams counties.

IDPH continues to assist local health departments involved in the youth camp and conference outbreaks and is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Specimens are being sought for genomic sequencing to determine if any of the cases were caused by variants

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