Nearly all 40 people infected with COVID-19 at Ala. church have recovered
A congregation in Alabama that garnered headlines after 40 of its members tested positive for COVID-19 following a revival has reported that nearly all of those infected have recovered.
Warrior Creek Baptist Church of Arab, a small Southern Baptist congregation, was the sight of an outbreak in July in which 40 people, including its pastor, became infected.
However, according to a report last week from The Alabama Baptist posted by Baptist Press, there remained only one family that still tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
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Warrior Creek Pastor Darryl Ross, who was among those who tested positive for COVID-19 in July, explained to TAB that the one family still battling the coronavirus was doing well.
A small church located in Cullman County, 40 members tested positive for the virus during a weeklong revival event, prompting the church to end the gathering early.
In an interview with al.com at the time, Ross explained that he learned about someone attending the event who had COVID-19.
“On the way back over Thursday is when we found out. I got a call that one of our guys in the church has tested positive. So we shut down revival and, by Friday night, I’ve got church members sick everywhere,” said Ross.
Ross also explained at the time that of the several cases, only two were noted as serious, with his own coronavirus infection being minimal in its severity.
“I can’t smell or taste, a little sinus, that’s all I’ve had,” Ross told al.com. “The whole church has been running fever and headaches and terrible respiratory (issues), and I’ve been building fences and bush-hogging.”
As a mass social gathering, churches and other houses of worship are oftentimes seen as areas of high risk for spreading the coronavirus and have been linked to a few local outbreaks.
Last week, for example, officials in Fremont County, Wyoming, reported that two outbreaks occurred in their locality, both of which were tied to local congregations.
“We’re definitely hitting some spikes and it’s all these social gatherings,” Fremont County spokesman Michael Jones told the Casper Star-Tribune.
“You hate to say churches, but it is family and social gatherings where people are inside and let their guard down.”
In July, another Alabama congregation, First Baptist Church of Tillmans Corner, announced that it was suspending in-person worship due to a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases among members.
“We need to move quickly and decisively to stop the virus before it spreads any further,” said FBC Pastor Derek Allen at the time.
“We don’t want to see any of our faith family members suffer through a COVID-19 infection, and we want to do our part to contain this spike as much as possible.”
FBC of Tillmans Corner announced that it will return to in-person worship on Sept. 13, although attendees are expected to register in advance as a precaution.
