- Characteristics and trends of severe/critical COVID-19 cases in the Republic of Korea (January 2020 to August 2023)
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Se-Jin Jeong, Shin Young Park, Boyeong Ryu, Misuk An, Jin-Hwan Jeon, So Young Choi, Seong-Sun Kim
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Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2025;16(1):81-88. Published online February 7, 2025
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2024.0295
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 Graphical Abstract
 Abstract
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 - Objectives
We analyzed the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), focusing specifically on severe/critical cases, and assessed the trends and rates of severity and fatality among these patients in the Republic of Korea.
Methods
Clinical data on patients with COVID-19 from January 20, 2020 to August 30, 2023 were collected from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s database. We identified patients who progressed to severe/critical conditions and analyzed their demographic and clinical profiles. Severity and fatality rates were calculated and compared annually to track the disease progression over time.
Results
During the surveillance period, 34,572,554 COVID-19 cases were confirmed, among whom 38,112 (0.11%) progressed to severe/critical conditions. Most severe/critical cases occurred in individuals aged ≥60 years, with a notable increase in patients aged ≥80 years from 2022. The overall severity rate was 0.19%, with a fatality rate of 0.10%. However, the severity of cases gradually diminished during the study period. In 2022, the severity and fatality rates decreased to 0.14% and 0.09%, respectively. In 2023, while the severity rate remained stable at 0.15%, the fatality rate further decreased to 0.06%. Notably, throughout the study period, individuals aged ≥80 years had a significantly higher severity rate (2.44%), with a fatality rate of 1.75%.
Conclusion
These findings underscore the importance of prioritizing protection and management strategies for older adults and high-risk groups to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. Continued surveillance and analysis are essential to effectively control COVID-19 and minimize its burden on public health.
- Risk factors for deaths associated with COVID-19 according to the cause of death classification in Republic of Korea
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Na-Young Kim, Seong-Sun Kim, Hyun Ju Lee, Dong Hwi Kim, Boyeong Ryu, Eunjeong Shin, Donghyok Kwon
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Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2023;14(2):89-99. Published online April 18, 2023
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2022.0312
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Graphical Abstract
Abstract
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 - Objectives
This study aimed to classify coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related deaths according to whether COVID-19 was listed as the cause of death, and to investigate the differences in demographic characteristics and risk factors for COVID-19 death classifications.
Methods
A total of 5,625 deaths in South Korea among patients with confirmed COVID-19 from January 20, 2020 to December 31, 2021 were selected. Excluding false reports and unnatural deaths, 5,597 deaths were analyzed. Based on death report data, deaths were classified according to whether the cause of death was listed as COVID-19 (CD) or not (NCD). The epidemiological characteristics and causes of deaths were investigated using descriptive, univariate, and multivariate statistical analyses. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to analyze the risk factors.
Results
The case fatality ratio was 0.89% and increased with age. Additionally, 96.4% of the subjects had an underlying disease, and 53.4% died in winter. The proportion of NCDs was 9.3%, of whom 19.1% died at home and 39.0% were confirmed to have COVID-19 after death. Malignant neoplasms (102/416 vs. 637/4,442; OR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.36−2.16; p<0.001) were significantly associated with NCD.
Conclusion
This is the first study to analyze risk factors by cause of death using COVID-19 death report data in South Korea. These results are expected to be used as evidence for establishing a death monitoring system that can collect timely information in a new infectious disease pandemic.
- 2019 Tabletop Exercise for Laboratory Diagnosis and Analyses of Unknown Disease Outbreaks by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Il-Hwan Kim, Jun Hyeong Jang, Su-Kyoung Jo, Jin Sun No, Seung-Hee Seo, Jun-Young Kim, Sang-Oun Jung, Jeong-Min Kim, Sang-Eun Lee, Hye-Kyung Park, Eun-Jin Kim, Jun Ho Jeon, Myung-Min Choi, Boyeong Ryu, Yoon Suk Jang, Hwami Kim, Jin Lee, Seung-Hwan Shin, Hee Kyoung Kim, Eun-Kyoung Kim, Ye Eun Park, Cheon-Kwon Yoo, Sang-Won Lee, Myung-Guk Han, Gi-Eun Rhie, Byung Hak Kang
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Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2020;11(5):280-285. Published online October 22, 2020
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2020.11.5.03
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Abstract
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Objectives
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published “A Guideline for Unknown Disease Outbreaks (UDO).” The aim of this report was to introduce tabletop exercises (TTX) to prepare for UDO in the future.
Methods
The UDO Laboratory Analyses Task Force in Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in April 2018, assigned unknown diseases into 5 syndromes, designed an algorithm for diagnosis, and made a panel list for diagnosis by exclusion. Using the guidelines and laboratory analyses for UDO, TTX were introduced.
Results
Since September 9th, 2018, the UDO Laboratory Analyses Task Force has been preparing TTX based on a scenario of an outbreak caused by a novel coronavirus. In December 2019, through TTX, individual missions, epidemiological investigations, sample treatments, diagnosis by exclusions, and next generation sequencing analysis were discussed, and a novel coronavirus was identified as the causal pathogen.
Conclusion
Guideline and laboratory analyses for UDO successfully applied in TTX. Conclusions drawn from TTX could be applied effectively in the analyses for the initial response to COVID-19, an ongoing epidemic of 2019 – 2020. Therefore, TTX should continuously be conducted for the response and preparation against UDO.
- Detection of Novel Coronavirus on the Surface of Environmental Materials Contaminated by COVID-19 Patients in the Republic of Korea
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Sang-Eun Lee, Deog-Yong Lee, Wook-Gyo Lee, ByeongHak Kang, Yoon Suk Jang, Boyeong Ryu, SeungJae Lee, Hyunjung Bahk, Eungyu Lee
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Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2020;11(3):128-132. Published online May 8, 2020
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2020.11.3.03
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Abstract
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This study aimed to determine the presence of SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces frequently touched by COVID-19 patients, and assess the scope of contamination and transmissibility in facilities where the outbreaks occurred. In the course of this epidemiological investigation, a total of 80 environmental specimens were collected from 6 hospitals (68 specimens) and 2 “mass facilities” (6 specimens from a rehabilitation center and 6 specimens from an apartment building complex). Specific reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction targeting of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, and envelope genes, were used to identify the presence of this novel coronavirus. The 68 specimens from 6 hospitals (A, B, C, D, E, and G), where prior disinfection/cleaning had been performed before environmental sampling, tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. However, 2 out of 12 specimens (16.7%) from 2 “mass facilities” (F and H), where prior disinfection/cleaning had not taken place, were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA polymerase, and envelope genes. These results suggest that prompt disinfection and cleaning of potentially contaminated surfaces is an effective infection control measure. By inactivating SARS-CoV-2 with disinfection/cleaning the infectivity and transmission of the virus is blocked. This investigation of environmental sampling may help in the understanding of risk assessment of the COVID-19 outbreak in “mass facilities” and provide guidance in using effective disinfectants on contaminated surfaces. -
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