Department of Surgery, Trauma and Vascular Surgery, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar.
Department of Medical Affairs, Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, Doha, Qatar.
Sci Med Footb. 2023 Nov;7(4):337-346. doi: 10.1080/24733938.2022.2110276. Epub 2022 Aug 22.
We sought to assess the risk of COVID-19 and seasonal flu including respiratory syncytial (RSV) and influenza viruses during the FIFA Arab Cup 2021 in Qatar with full capacity of spectators. We also, evaluated the post-event attitude toward resumption of mass football events.
This was a cross-sectional study in which spectators (age ≥ 18 years) were invited for reverse-transcription PCR testing for COVID-19 and seasonal flu. At the same time, between 7 and 14 days after the event, the participants completed a self-administered questionnaire regarding their concerns during the tournament.
The tournament included 16 international football teams from the Arab countries. As per the study protocol, 10,000 spectators were approached and 6,475 participated. Among the participants, 4,195 (65.1%), 2,253 (34.9%) and 27 (0.4%) were vaccinated with 2 doses, vaccinated with 3 doses, and recovered from SARS-Cov-2 infection, respectively. There were 61 (0.9%), 41(0.6%) and 11(0.2%) participants who tested positive for COVID-19, RSV and influenza (A/B), respectively. The average cycle threshold (Ct) value for COVID-19 positive cases was 26.1±7.3. Among those who were electronically approached, 6,102 completed the survey whereas 373 had incomplete survey. Overall, 2069 (33.9%) participants reported symptoms that theoretically could be related to COVID-19, of them 39 had positive PCR test (1.9%). Spectators (94.3%) were optimistic about returning sport events to the pre-pandemic status.
There was no significant increase in the daily COVID-19 cases during FIFA Arab Cup 2021 with a full capacity of spectators. Therefore, upcoming mass football events can be held safely.
我们旨在评估 2021 年在卡塔尔满负荷观众容量下举办的国际足联阿拉伯杯期间 COVID-19 和季节性流感（包括呼吸道合胞病毒[RSV]和流感病毒）的风险。同时，我们还评估了赛事结束后对恢复大规模足球赛事的态度。
这是一项横断面研究，邀请（年龄≥18 岁）观众进行 COVID-19 和季节性流感的逆转录 PCR 检测。与此同时，在赛事结束后 7-14 天，参与者完成了一份关于他们在锦标赛期间关注问题的自我管理式问卷。
该锦标赛有来自阿拉伯国家的 16 支国际足球队参加。根据研究方案，有 10000 名观众被邀请，其中 6475 人参加。在参与者中，分别有 4195 人（65.1%）、2253 人（34.9%）和 27 人（0.4%）接种了 2 剂、3 剂疫苗，并从 SARS-CoV-2 感染中康复。分别有 61 人（0.9%）、41 人（0.6%）和 11 人（0.2%）检测出 COVID-19、RSV 和流感（A/B）阳性。COVID-19 阳性病例的平均循环阈值（Ct）值为 26.1±7.3。在被电子联系的人中，有 6102 人完成了调查，而 373 人填写的调查不完整。总体而言，2069 名（33.9%）参与者报告了可能与 COVID-19 相关的症状，其中 39 人 PCR 检测呈阳性（1.9%）。观众（94.3%）对恢复大流行前的体育赛事持乐观态度。
在满负荷观众容量下举办的 2021 年国际足联阿拉伯杯期间，COVID-19 每日新增病例没有显著增加。因此，即将举行的大型足球赛事可以安全进行。
