Factors Associated With SARS-CoV-2 Infection at a German Medical Congress During the Omicron Wave

Abstract

COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2, which is spread through close person-to-person contact.1 In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, restricting public events was 1 of the first measures taken to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.1 Accordingly, most medical societies suspended their academic meetings or moved them to a virtual platform.2 The 122nd Annual Congress of the German Society of Ophthalmology (DOG) was held in person in 2022 for the first time in 3 years. Many studies3,4 have investigated SARS-CoV-2 positivity rates following in-person academic conferences. However, compared with these studies, the DOG congress had a higher number of attendees and took place during the Omicron wave without mandatory safety measures. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the association of this face-to-face DOG meeting with potential SARS-CoV-2 transmission.