The risk of unvaccinated people being infected with the novel coronavirus is twice as high when participate in parties where alcohol is served, according to data compiled by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases.
A team from the institute reported on this data at a meeting of the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry's advisory board on Wednesday.
The data looked into the movements and infection status of 753 adults who had not been vaccinated against COVID-19, who visited five Tokyo outpatient fever clinics in June and July.
By location, the data suggested that the infection risk was 1.5 times higher at gatherings with alcohol at restaurants and izakaya Japanese pubs; 2.1 times higher at home drinking parties; and 2.3 times higher when drinking with others on the street or in a park.
By time, the infection risk was lower during the day, whereas those who joined such gatherings in the late afternoon or evening faced more than double the risk.
The risk stayed low if participants had kept their masks on except when eating or drinking, but the risk grew to 3.9 times higher for those who did not wear a mask throughout. The risk was over nine times greater for people who went to karaoke together.
"Although the state of emergency has ended, I hope people will keep on wearing masks correctly and avoid taking part in a dining sessions lasting many hours," said Motoi Suzuki, the head of the institute's Infectious Disease Surveillance Center.
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