DisCon III emailed members on December 24 about two more positive test results among people who attended last week’s Worldcon, as their COVID response team continues to track contacts after the convention. Overall, nineteen people have reported positive test results, one of which was a false positive. Details of previous cases are the following links:

• Cases A through E: “DisCon III Covid Update” (December 21)
• Cases F through I: “DisCon III Reports Four More Test Positive” (December 22)
• Cases J through Q: “DisCon III Releases Third Covid Update” (December 23)

December 24th Update

Case R

• Mild symptoms began on Monday 20th December, continued to be mild
• Tested positive for Covid on Thursday 23rd December
• They arrived at the con on Wednesday 15th at 2pm and left Sunday at 12pm
• They attended:
  • The dealers room three or four times
  • The art show several times from which they bought via quick sale a small dragon from David Pancake
  • Jane Frank’s tour of the art show
  • The panel on genre in education
  • The panel on the Broad Universe (on which they were a panellist)
  • The Hugo awards ceremony sitting in the center of the first row in the accessibility seats
  • The accessibility table several times during the convention
  • All of the accessibility elevators several times from Thursday through Sunday
  • District Kitchen on Saturday night
  • The hotel’s restaurant (Robert’s) on Friday for lunch
• They were masked except for when eating

Case S

• Took a PCR test on Tuesday, 21st December, and received positive results on Friday, 24th December
• Symptoms including fever, sore throat, headache, and chills began 21st December and had mostly dissipated by 22nd December
• Arrived at the con Wednesday 15th at 12:30 pm and left Sunday at 1 pm
• Stayed on-site
• Remained masked except while eating
• Attended programming including:
  • Opening ceremonies (front middle right) (Wednesday)
  • “So this is your first WorldCon” (Wednesday)
  • Stroll with the Stars (Thursday)
  • Changing Genes: Can We? Should We? (Thursday)
  • Horror Folklore around the World (Thursday)
  • Working with an Agent (Thursday)
  • Let’s Judge a Book by Its Cover (Thursday)
  • Finding Authorial Voice (Thursday)
  • Alternate Families in SF, Fantasy, and Horror (Thursday)
  • WGSO Concert (back left) (Thursday)
  • Creating New Mythology from Hidden History (Friday)
  • Crafting an Elevator Pitch (Friday)
  • Pitching Your Novel to Agents and Publishers (Saturday)
  • From Grimm to Disney and Back: Changing Fae (Saturday)
  • Hugo Awards Watch Party in the Blue Room (Saturday)
  • The Phylogenetic Tree of Space Opera (Sunday)
• Dined at Chipotle (Wednesday dinner), Open City (Thursday and Friday breakfast), The Gourmand Grill (Thursday lunch), Rajaj Indian Restaurant (Friday dinner), Robert’s Restaurant (Saturday breakfast), and Tono Sushi (Saturday dinner)
• Attended the BSFS party on Friday
• Socialized extensively in the lobby and patio, particularly Friday evening (couches to the left of the stairs after entering the lobby), Saturday evening (firepit to the left after exiting the hotel), and Sunday morning (Western Promenade)

What to do if you test positive for COVID-19?

• Tell the convention at [email protected]. We will keep your name private but may share anonymized information about your activities for contract-tracing purposes.
• If your positive test result was from an at-home antigen test, try to obtain a PCR test for confirmation.
• Think about where you were and if you had your mask off.
• Inform anyone you know personally and were in close contact with about your test result
• Close contact is defined as someone who was within 6 feet for a total of 15 minutes or more within 2 days prior to illness onset, regardless of whether the contact was wearing a mask.
• The CDC recommends a 10-day isolation period. Day zero is the first day you develop symptoms or test positive.