Many ETHDenver attendees report positive COVID-19 tests and few masks

The transmissibility of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 seems to person affected galore attendees astatine the ETHDenver developer conference, who reported symptoms and affirmative trial results pursuing the event.

Many societal media posts from ETHDenver attendees aft the decision of the Feb. 11-20 league assertion they tested affirmative for the virus. A section quality outlet reported that much than 12,000 radical from 100 countries attended the event, which resulted successful galore infections among some the vaccinated and unvaccinated.

Finally got my archetypal COVID corruption courtesy of #ETHDenver pic.twitter.com/TDR3OEteI5

— T h one r k (@theThirk) February 22, 2022

According to ETHDenver’s COVID policies, attendees and unit were required to “take a accelerated [antigen] test, on-site, anterior to picking up their badge” and requested not to sojourn immoderate of the event’s in-person venues if showing symptoms. However, the league did not enforce a vaccine mandate, said that lone “some nationalist locations” required participants to deterioration masks, and did not notation societal distancing.

Despite these measures, galore attendees posted photos of positive COVID-19 tests oregon different reported experiencing symptoms. The enactment for investigating had ETHDenver guests waiting extracurricular successful the wintertime upwind and photos from the lawsuit look to suggest radical wearing masks were successful the minority. The lawsuit is besides presently wrapping up a three-day skiing retreat to Breckenridge.

To those astatine #ETHDenver who saw maine - conscionable tested affirmative for covid by swabbing the backmost of my pharynx for an antigen test. PCR chemoreceptor swab was antagonistic yesterday. If you consciousness a small tickle, play it connected the harmless side. pic.twitter.com/qOj45fbPC4

— KapSlap.eth ᵍᵐ (∞,∞) (@KapSlap) February 23, 2022

Nothing similar a agelong COVID investigating enactment to footwear disconnected your time #ETHDenver pic.twitter.com/9jLodFab7h

— Bethany Crystal (@bethanymarz) February 17, 2022

“None of this is surprising,” said Time unit writer Andrew Chow, who tested affirmative for COVID-19 aft leaving the crypto conference. “Thousands of radical from astir the satellite descended up connected a fewer indoor spaces [...] and proceeded to speech loudly successful each other’s faces for hours connected end. People wearing masks were fewer and acold between, and societal distancing was nonexistent.”

Many U.S. states person dropped disguise mandates successful caller weeks arsenic the fig of regular COVID cases fell from much than 1 cardinal successful January to a seven-day mean of astir 80,000 astatine the clip of publication, according to data provided by the New York Times. The fig of cases successful Denver County seemed to person followed this nationwide trend, with a play mean of 177 arsenic of Feb. 23.

Chow added:

“Attendees joked that ETHDenver 2020 had been 1 of COVID-19’s archetypal superspreader events. The 2022 variation was a reminder that the pandemic is inactive afloat successful swing, nary substance however overmuch radical privation to enactment it down them.”

The CDC recommends some vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals deterioration a disguise successful “areas of important oregon precocious assemblage transmission.” In addition, it suggests that “everyone ages 5 years and older” should receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

Related: Web Summit returns in-person lawsuit to delve into crypto, DeFi and NFTs

Though vaccines person been mostly disposable to astir U.S. residents for much than a year, different ample gatherings successful the crypto abstraction person produced akin results. Some media outlets called the Bitcoin 2021 lawsuit successful Miami a “super spreader event” aft galore attendees reported investigating affirmative for COVID-19 upon returning location — much than 12,000 radical were astatine the Florida conference.