NYC Anime Convention Wasn't Omicron Superspreader: CDC

NEW YORK CITY — A New York City anime convention wasn't a superspreader event that helped the omicron coronavirus variant gain a foothold in the United States, according to a new CDC study.

Widespread masking, vaccinations and good air flow at the Javits Center prevented omicron from spreading widely among the 53,000 attendees at the indoor gathering in November, researchers found.

Only 119 cases were ultimately detected among attendees, the study found.

"Findings from this survey and a related cluster investigation of a portion of attendees suggest transmission occurred primarily among social circles and during indoor unmasked activities during the event rather than at official event activities," the study states.

For a short span in the fall, all New York City's concerns about the then-new omicron coronavirus variant were centered around the anime convention.

One of omicron's first cases in the nation was a Minnesota man who attended the convention. Officials openly worried the gathering could have been a superspreader event.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and former Mayor Bill de Blasio held a joint news conference about the link and to assure New Yorkers that, in the governor's words, "We are not defenseless."

But the omicron variant proved to be more highly transmissible than experts feared.

Cases in New York City grew at an unprecedented pace and daily life ground to a halt as city dwellers canceled holiday gatherings and eschewed indoor activities. The surge peaked at roughly 48,000 cases per day — a staggering total that far outpaced previous coronavirus variants.

The omicron surge eventually slowed, almost as quickly as it exploded. The latest daily COVID-19 data from the state shows the city had just 1,170 cases detected Wednesday.

The CDC study indicates the anime convention merely coincided with omicron's arrival in the United States and likely didn't further fuel it.

The event helped show that up-to-date vaccinations, mask use, physical distancing and improved ventilation can help slow the spread of omicron and other coronavirus variants, researchers wrote.

Read the full CDC study here.