Abstract
Background: The South Korean government has been combating the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak using public information and extensive viral screening. We describe the application of the Korean response system in Gyeongsangnam-do province and outline the epidemiological features of COVID-19 in the cohort.
Methods: A Rapid Response Team tracked the patients’ activities and identified close contacts. A Patient Management Team made decisions regarding the severity of illness, hospital allocation depending on severity, and time of discharge. A national medical center with 155 beds and 4 university-affiliated hospitals with 48 negative-pressure isolation rooms were dedicated for patients with COVID-19.
Results: As of 15 April, 17 400 residents were tested, of whom 111 were confirmed positive cases. Of the 111 patients, 78 were cured and discharged, 2 recovered after mechanical ventilation, and none died. One healthcare worker at the national center tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. All 412 staff members at the center were tested, but there were no additional infections. Cough (30.0%) was the most common initial symptom, whereas anosmia and ageusia were the first symptoms in 14.7% and 15.7% of the patients, respectively. Overall, 25 patients (22.5%) reported having no symptoms at admission and 7 (6.3%) remained asymptomatic at discharge.
Conclusions: A response system that enabled the early detection of COVID-19 cases, including asymptomatic and presymptomatic cases, and timely quarantine of these patients and their contacts, along with efficient allocation of medical resources, was the key to curbing the COVID-19 outbreak in Gyeongsangnam-do Province.
Keywords: COVID-19; ageusia; anosmia; asymptomatic patients; response system.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, Anosmia, Ageusia, asymptomatic patients, response system., 【초록키워드】 coronavirus disease, SARS-CoV-2, Coronavirus disease 2019, mechanical ventilation, quarantine, severity, hospital, healthcare worker, discharge, Anosmia, activity, Cohort, infections, Viral, Asymptomatic, Ageusia, COVID-19 outbreak, outbreak, response, Early detection, Patient, Rapid, epidemiological, Patient management, information, Admission, asymptomatic patients, patients, Korean, COVID-19 cases, severity of illness, no symptoms, initial symptom, Government, Medical resources, no symptom, center, first symptoms, South, team, National, positive, Isolation room, feature, Presymptomatic cases, combating, tested, died, reported, the patient, remained, discharged, cured, first symptom, patients with COVID-19, 【제목키워드】 response, South Korea, System,