Mom’s Warning To Other Parents After Daughter Returns Home From Church Camp With COVID-19

Tens of thousands of campers have stayed at Falls Creek this summer. But some churches and parents have reported kids coming home from camp with COVID.

News 9 spoke with a mom who is now warning other parents to look for more than just cold or flu-like symptoms.

"Saturday morning she woke up with what we thought was a stomach virus," said the mom who wanted to remain anonymous.

She said her 13-year-old daughter got back from Falls Creek on Friday and really started showing symptoms, like a 101-degree fever over the weekend.

The mom said her daughter ended up testing positive for COVID, but her teen wasn't the only camper experiencing stomach issues.

"A lot of friends at the camp. There were several friends at the camp, and they had the same symptoms she did," said the mom.

OU Health's Chief COVID Officer Dr. Dale Bratzler said the virus can show up in numerous ways.

"With the Delta variant we have seen a lot of people complain of sore throat, runny nose and a headache is very common," said Bratzler.

He also said everyone is different, but GI symptoms can "definitely" occur with COVID-19.

Churches here in the metro, like New Church OKC, made announcements about campers contracting COVID at Falls Creek. Some of those churches moved aspects of church and even services back to virtual.

Related: Youth Church Camp COVID Outbreak Causes Concern

At New Church the congregation was told everyone that was in close contact and the person that caught the virus were doing well.

Oklahoma Baptists, the general convention overseeing the church camp, would only comment about the cases in a statement saying:

“We are in the final week of summer youth camp at Falls Creek, and we are grateful to have seen the Lord move in the hearts of thousands who attended camp. Like other organizations operating large events this summer, we adhere to strict protocols to protect the safety and health of our staff and campers. We constantly review and revise our protocols as the situation warrants. As the summer has unfolded, many areas of the United States including Oklahoma have seen COVID-19 cases increase. Having hosted around 4,000 participants each week, the number of positive COVID cases remains statistically low. Even so, we take nothing for granted as the well-being of every camper and staff member is foremost. We treat the threat of COVID with the utmost seriousness. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and adapt our plans as necessary during this last week of camp.”

The mom News 9 spoke with said her family isn't vaccinated but some of the adults had recently tested positive for the COVID antibodies. She told News 9 this probably won't change their decision on the vaccine or the way they live their life.

"I think we are going to keep doing what we've been doing. We've been careful," said the mom.

Bratzler is encouraging parents to get their children 12 and above vaccinated, wear masks in indoor settings and know the protocol at your child's camp.

Read: CDC Says Some Vaccinated Americans Should Wear Masks Indoors Again