High attack rate in a large care home outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86, East of England, August 2023
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Updated: Jul 15, 2025

Author Spotlight: Advancements in Multiplex Detection of Respiratory Viruses
Published on: November 10, 2023
Lucy Reeve1, Elise Tessier2, Amy Trindall1
1Field Service East of England, UK Health Security Agency, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
We investigated an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 variant BA.2.86 in an East of England care home. We identified 45 infections (33 residents, 12 staff), among 38 residents and 66 staff. Twenty-nine of 43 PCR swabs were sequenced, all of which were variant BA.2.86. The attack rate among residents was 87%, 19 were symptomatic, and one was hospitalised. Twenty-four days after the outbreak started, no cases were still unwell. Among the 33 resident cases, 29 had been vaccinated 4 months earlier.
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