Testing Fans at the 2022 Cameroon AFCON: How It Worked and Why It Matters

The 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon faced an unusual opponent: COVID-19. Organizers and health officials made sure anyone entering the stadium or fan zones had negative SARS-CoV-2 test results from the last 48 hours. Free testing and vaccinations were offered at entrances. Fans who agreed to be tested answered a quick electronic survey about their exposure to the virus, any COVID-19 symptoms, and if they were vaccinated. Then, they took a rapid antigen test (Ag-RDT) for SARS-CoV-2. Fans who tested positive were further tested with a PCR test to confirm the result, and samples were sent for sequencing to monitor virus variants.

Out of 4, 820 fans (average age 30, 28% women), 1, 228 were fully vaccinated. Shockingly, 148 tested positive with the rapid test, and 19 out of 64 confirmed positives were found with the PCR test. That's about 40 out of 10, 000 fans! The Omicron variant was detected in all successfully sequenced samples. Despite high crowd volume right before matches, economic pressure, and issues with test kit quality, the mandatory testing was a great chance to spot COVID-19 cases and track virus variants.

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