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KMID : 1143420220150070408
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Public Health Weekly Report
2022 Volume.15 No. 7 p.408 ~ p.413
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Analysis of the time from exposure to the diagnosis of Omicron infection to establish the ideal duration of quarantine for traced contacts
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Lee Hye-Ryeon
Kim Ji-A
Lee Ji-Joo
Park Ha-Nul
Jang Eun-Jung
Park Young-Joon
Lee Young
Kim Mi-Young
Song Jin-Su
Lee Ji-Hee
Ryu Chung-Hee
Kim Eun-Young
Kim Moon-Su
Kim Seong-Gon
Yu Ha-Na
Ko Hwa-Pyeong
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Abstract
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The Omicron variant was designated as a variant of concern (VOC) by World Health Organization (WHO) on November 27,
2021. Immediately, the Republic of Korea (ROK) began monitoring the incidence of infections caused by the Omicron variant around the world, as well as the importation and incidence of the variant in the ROK. In the ROK, the first Omicron case was confirmed in Incheon at the end of November. It spread to the community through the patient’s acquaintances, family, and church. There was also a patient arrived in Honam with confirmed disease who spread the virus throughout the community through the daycare center in Jeonbuk, the daycare center in Jeonnam, and family gatherings. The authorities promptly began contact tracing in response. The government established an “Emerging variant response taskforce” to facilitate countermeasures. Such act was conducted in other to prevent the importation of the Omicron variant and community spread in the country. Fifty-six patients, including family members, acquaintances, and church members, were traced to the index imported case in Incheon on November 24, 2021. Fifty-one patients contracted the virus from the Honam arrival, through the daycare center in Jeonbuk, the daycare center in Jeonnam, and family gatherings. The date of final exposure has been confirmed and analyzed. General characteristics of patients were analyzed, and the time from final exposure to a close contact diagnosis with the infection were calculated. The mean time from final exposure to diagnosis was 3.7 days, with a median of 3 days and a quartile range of 2?5 days. Among 107 subjects, 50% were definitively diagnosed 3 days after final exposure, and 70% were confirmed as being infected by day 5. The current mandatory quarantine period is of 14 days. The analysis shows that 106 (99.1%) cases could have been identified even within a 10-day quarantine. These results present scientific evidence to alter the current duration of quarantine (surveillance) for contacts exposed to the Omicron variant. The findings may be supportive in updating guidelines and devising policies for preventing the spread of the Omicron variant.
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KEYWORD
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Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), Omicron variant
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