CDC study of US Navy service members sheds light on COVID-19 in young adults

Editor's Note

This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study of 382 young adult US Navy service members aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier during a COVID-19 outbreak found that:

• 59.70% had reactive antibodies
• 59.2% also had neutralizing antibodies, an indicator of at least short-term immunity
• 81.5% reported one or more symptoms
• 18.5% reported no symptoms.

Service members who took preventive measures had a lower infection rate than those who did not:

• wearing a face covering, 55.8% vs 80.8%
• avoiding common areas, 53.8% vs 67.5%
• observing social distancing, 54.7% vs 70%.

Prevalence of infection was higher in those who had contact with someone known to have COVID-19 (64.2%), compared with those who did not (41.7%). Prevalence also was higher in those who shared sleeping quarters with crewmembers who were positive (65.6%), compared with those who did not (36.4%).

The findings provide new indications of symptomatology of COVID-19 infections and serologic responses and contribute to a better understanding of COVID-19 epidemiology in the US military, the researchers say.