COVID-19 Mortality Following Mass Gatherings

We examined Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) mortality following 5 mass gatherings at outdoor rallies in the United States, during August 2020. We found that COVID-19 mortality started increasing 19-24 days after the mass gathering. In a 50-mile radius there was a 2.1-fold increase in COVID-19 mortality, and in a 51-100 miles radius there was a 1.4-fold increase. Our results suggest that precautions should be taken in mass gatherings and in at least a 50-mile radius, in order to limit COVID-19 mortality.