tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Osong Public Health Res Perspect
. 2023 Aug;14(4):252-262.
doi: 10.24171/j.phrp.2023.0125. Epub 2023 Jul 27. Risk factors for transmission in a COVID-19 cluster infection in a high school in the Republic of Korea
Jin-Hwan Jeon[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Su Jin Kang[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Se-Jin Jeong[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Hyeon-Cheol Jang[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Young-Joon Park[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Sang-Eun Lee[SUP] 5 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Background: This study aimed to examine the scale, characteristics, risk factors, and modes of transmission in a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak at a high school in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Methods: An epidemiological survey was conducted of 1,118 confirmed cases and close contacts from a COVID-19 outbreak at an educational facility starting on May 31, 2021. In-depth interviews, online questionnaires, flow evaluations, and CCTV analyses were used to devise infection prevention measures. Behavioral and spatial risk factors were identified, and statistical significance was tested.
Results: Among 3rd-year students, there were 33 confirmed COVID-19 cases (9.6%). Students who used a study room in the annex building showed a statistically significant 4.3-fold elevation in their relative risk for infection compared to those who did not use the study room. Moreover, CCTV facial recognition analysis confirmed that 17.8% of 3rd-year students did not wear masks and had the lowest percentage of mask-wearers by grade. The air epidemiological survey conducted in the study room in the annex, which met the 3 criteria for a closed space, confirmed that there was only 10% natural ventilation due to the poor ventilation system.
Conclusion: To prevent and manage the spread of COVID-19 in educational facilities, advance measures that consider the size, operation, and resources of each school are crucial. In addition, various survey methodologies should be used in future studies to quickly analyze a wider range of data that can inform an evidence-based quarantine response.
Keywords: COVID-19; Epidemiology; Risk factors; Surveys and questionnaires; Video analysis.
. 2023 Aug;14(4):252-262.
doi: 10.24171/j.phrp.2023.0125. Epub 2023 Jul 27. Risk factors for transmission in a COVID-19 cluster infection in a high school in the Republic of Korea
Jin-Hwan Jeon[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Su Jin Kang[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Se-Jin Jeong[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Hyeon-Cheol Jang[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Young-Joon Park[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Sang-Eun Lee[SUP] 5 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 37652680
- DOI: 10.24171/j.phrp.2023.0125
Background: This study aimed to examine the scale, characteristics, risk factors, and modes of transmission in a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak at a high school in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Methods: An epidemiological survey was conducted of 1,118 confirmed cases and close contacts from a COVID-19 outbreak at an educational facility starting on May 31, 2021. In-depth interviews, online questionnaires, flow evaluations, and CCTV analyses were used to devise infection prevention measures. Behavioral and spatial risk factors were identified, and statistical significance was tested.
Results: Among 3rd-year students, there were 33 confirmed COVID-19 cases (9.6%). Students who used a study room in the annex building showed a statistically significant 4.3-fold elevation in their relative risk for infection compared to those who did not use the study room. Moreover, CCTV facial recognition analysis confirmed that 17.8% of 3rd-year students did not wear masks and had the lowest percentage of mask-wearers by grade. The air epidemiological survey conducted in the study room in the annex, which met the 3 criteria for a closed space, confirmed that there was only 10% natural ventilation due to the poor ventilation system.
Conclusion: To prevent and manage the spread of COVID-19 in educational facilities, advance measures that consider the size, operation, and resources of each school are crucial. In addition, various survey methodologies should be used in future studies to quickly analyze a wider range of data that can inform an evidence-based quarantine response.
Keywords: COVID-19; Epidemiology; Risk factors; Surveys and questionnaires; Video analysis.