Eurosurveillance - Volume 26, Issue 31, 05 August 2021

We monitored antimicrobial susceptibility developments of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Germany from January 2014 to May 2021. The proportion of isolates with azithromycin minimum inhibitory concentrations above the epidemiological cut-off increased substantially, from 1.3% in 2014 to 12.2% in 2020. Preliminary data from 2021 showed a further rise (January to May: 20.7%). Therefore, azithromycin as part of the recommended dual therapy in Germany for non-adherent patients is challenged. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing in clinical practice is crucial and continuous susceptibility surveillance indispensable.

Several studies report high effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe disease, however an important knowledge gap is the vaccine effectiveness against transmission (VET). We present estimates of the VET to household and other close contacts in the Netherlands, from February to May 2021, using contact monitoring data. The secondary attack rate among household contacts was lower for fully vaccinated than unvaccinated index cases (11% vs 31%), with an adjusted VET of 71% (95% confidence interval: 63–77).

Public Health Scotland used Scottish national contact tracing data to estimate the European football championship (EURO 2020) contributions to a third wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections. From 11 June to 7 July 2021, 2,632 (4%) of 63,874 SARS-CoV-2 cases self-reported attending a EURO 2020 event; 90% were male, of whom 73% were 20–39-year-olds. Most cases attended unofficial gatherings and averaged more contacts than the general population. Targeted guidance on celebrating safely in closed spaces is key.