A gymnastics facility was at the center of a COVID-19 outbreak in central Oklahoma with several cases linked to the Indian 'Delta' variant, a new report reveals.
From mid-April to early May, 47 cases were found to have originated at the facility, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed on Friday.
Of those cases, nearly half - 21 - were found to be caused by the variant.
The outbreak is one of the earlier outbreaks of the Delta variant in the country, and was a precursor to how quickly the variant - which has since become the nation's dominant strain - could spread when given the opportunity.
Cases associated with the gymnastics facility began in mid-April, and reached their peak on April 20
'These findings suggest that the B.1.617.2 [Delta] variant is highly transmissible in indoor sports settings and households, which might lead to higher attack rates among exposed persons,' wrote a research team led by epidemiologists from Oklahoma State University.
The first case was recorded on April 15 after members of the gym competed at an out-of-state meet from April 15 to 18.
At the time, members were not aware that they had the start of an outbreak on their hands.
Cases tied to the gym would slowly grow over the next few days, until April 20, where the peak of eight new cases associated with the gym was reached.
Gymnasts then competed in another out-of-state meet from April 23 to 26.
In total, 194 people were identified as being exposed to the virus, though no cases were detected at other gyms that could be tied back to the central Oklahoma outbreak.
As of May 27, officials identified 47 COVID-19 cases associated with facility including in 23 gymnasts, three staff members and 21 household contacts.
Two cases were so severe they required hospitalization, with one person requiring intensive care.
