<p>The importance of effective communication cannot be overestimated during a pandemic. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency national 1339 hotline has been in operation since the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus outbreak in 2016. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and provides accurate, reliable information based upon the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency guidelines in response to queries. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the 1339 hotline received callers’ questions about symptoms and the implications of their actions regarding the epidemic. Through the 1339 hotline, callers received the up-to-date information that enabled them to protect themselves as well as others from COVID-19. This public service may have influenced on reduced risk of virus transmission in Korea.</p>
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Assessment of Qatar’s Health Care Community Call Center Efficacy in Addressing COVID-19 Pandemic Health Care Challenges: Cross-Sectional Study Muhammad Atif Waheed, Lolwa Al Mannai, Hanan Khudadad, Jamil Alenbawi, Mariama Aminata Mansaray, Samya Al Abdulla JMIR Formative Research.2024; 8: e42753. CrossRef
Covid-19 hotlines, helplines and call centers: a systematic review of characteristics, challenges and lessons learned Maryam Eslami Jahromi, Haleh Ayatollahi, Ali Ebrazeh BMC Public Health.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Unbiased care, unequal outcomes: a nursing telehealth intervention reveals systematic inequities in COVID-19 care delivery Anthony Cheng, Kyle Hart, Andrea Baron, Emily Dollar, Brian Park, Jen DeVoe, Eric Herman, Julie Johnson, Deborah J. Cohen BMC Nursing.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Mental health concerns and network structures of psychological helpline help-seekers during the COVID-19 pandemic in China: Pandemic stage differences Lizu Lai, Jingqiang Tong, Yu-Tao Xiang, Lin Zhang, Zhihong Ren Journal of Affective Disorders.2023; 323: 444. CrossRef
Emerging Health Disparities during the COVID-19 Pandemic Nour Mheidly, Nadine Y. Fares, Mohamad Y. Fares, Jawad Fares Avicenna Journal of Medicine.2023; 13(01): 060. CrossRef
Reinventing Patient Support and Continuity of Care Using Innovative Physician-staffed Hotline: More than 60,000 Patients Served Across 15 Medical and Surgical Specialties During the First Wave of COVID-19 Lockdown in Qatar Mohamed Arafa, Walid El Ansari, Fadi Qasem, Abdulla Al Ansari, Mohammed Al Ateeq Al Dosari, Khalid Mukhtar, Mohamed Ali Alhabash, Khalid Awad, Khalid Al Rumaihi Journal of Medical Systems.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Role and effectiveness of telephone hotlines in outbreak response in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis Noah T. Fongwen, Almighty Nchafack, Hana Rohan, Jason J. Ong, Joseph D. Tucker, Nadine Beckmann, Gwenda Hughes, Rosanna W. Peeling, Felix Bongomin PLOS ONE.2023; 18(11): e0292085. CrossRef
An Innovative Telemedicine Initiative From Sri Lanka: The Value of Volunteerism in a Resource-Constrained Scenario During the COVID-19 Pandemic Indika Karunathilake, Sajith Edirisinghe, Manuj Weerasinghe, B. J. C. Perera, Anver Hamdani, Rasnayaka Mudiyanse, Sanka Randenikumara, Dulmini de Silva, Dulanja Senanayake, Sarath Gamini De Silva, Kalyani Guruge, M. K. Ragunathan, Athula Sumathipala, Pali Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health.2022; 34(5): 557. CrossRef
Epidemiology, clinical spectrum, viral kinetics and impact of COVID‐19 in the Asia‐Pacific region Kin On Kwok, Ying Huang, Margaret Ting Fong Tsoi, Arthur Tang, Samuel Yeung Shan Wong, Wan In Wei, David Shu Cheong Hui Respirology.2021; 26(4): 322. CrossRef
Generic Logic Model for Coronavirus Disease-2019 Responses Based on the South Korean Experience Hae-ryoung Chun, Kyuhyun Yoon, Hana Kim, Eunsil Cheon, Jaeyoung Ha, Sangwoo Tak, Sung-il Cho Risk Management and Healthcare Policy.2021; Volume 14: 4765. CrossRef
<sec>
<b>Objectives</b>
<p>Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreaks in nursing facilities can easily lead to a high rate of infection and fatality. A surge in newly infected cases in the first quarter of 2020 in Gyeongsan-si, in the Republic of Korea, was followed by several outbreaks in nursing facilities in the same area. The aim of this study is to report on the epidemiological investigation and the management to reduce the infection rate in nursing facilities for older adults.</p></sec>
<sec>
<b>Methods</b>
<p>The municipal government and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention performed an epidemiological investigation into 5 nursing facilities that reported a high number of COVID-19 infection cases from February to May 2020. COVID-19 infected cases in the facilities were investigated to identify the infection routes, and the fatality rate of the 5 facilities.</p></sec>
<sec>
<b>Results</b>
<p>The 5 facilities had a combined fatality rate of 12.2% (9 deceased among the 74 infected cases). The median age of the deceased was 87 years old (range: 82–91). The infection was first identified on February 27<sup>th</sup>, 2020, peaked on March 6<sup>th</sup>, and was last detected on March 24<sup>th</sup>, 2020.</p></sec>
<sec>
<b>Conclusion</b>
<p>Difficulties specific to such facilities included the delay in the recognition of symptoms and limitation in distancing. Tailored strategies such as daily monitoring of symptoms and proactive COVID-19 screening of quarantined residents, contributed to a decline in the infections in the facilities.</p></sec>
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Factors influencing long-term care facility performance during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review Eric Nguemeleu Tchouaket, Katya Kruglova, Josiane Létourneau, Emilie Bélanger, Stephanie Robins, Maripier Jubinville, Fatima El-Mousawi, Shiyang Shen, Idrissa Beogo, Drissa Sia BMC Health Services Research.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and corresponding control measures on long-term care facilities: a systematic review and meta-analysis Jun Zhang, Yushan Yu, Mirko Petrovic, Xiaomei Pei, Qing-Bao Tian, Lei Zhang, Wei-Hong Zhang Age and Ageing.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Risk factors for COVID-19 outbreaks in livestock slaughtering and processing facilities in Republic of Korea Seongju Choi, Tae Jong Son, Yeon-Kyung Lee Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives.2023; 14(3): 207. CrossRef
Using Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions and High Isolation of Asymptomatic Carriers to Contain the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Nursing Homes Alec J. Schmidt, Yury García, Diego Pinheiro, Thomas A. Reichert, Miriam Nuño Life.2022; 12(2): 180. CrossRef
An Experience of the Early Stage of COVID-19 Outbreak in Nursing Homes in Gyeonggi Province, Korea Gawon Choi, Na-young Kim, Seon-young Lee, Hae Deun Noh, Heeyoung Lee Korean Journal of Clinical Geriatrics.2022; 23(1): 27. CrossRef
Promising Best Practices Implemented in Long- Term Care Facilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic to Address Social Isolation and Loneliness: A Scoping Review Idrissa Beogo, Nebila Jean-Claude Bationo, Stephanie Collin, Diane Tapp, Jean Ramdé, Marie-Pierre Gagnon, Eric Nguemeleu Tchouaket, Drissa Sia Journal of Long-Term Care.2022; 0(2022): 298. CrossRef
Epidemiology and clinical features of COVID-19 outbreaks in aged care facilities: A systematic review and meta-analysis Mohammad Rashidul Hashan, Nicolas Smoll, Catherine King, Hannah Ockenden-Muldoon, Jacina Walker, Andre Wattiaux, Julieanne Graham, Robert Booy, Gulam Khandaker EClinicalMedicine.2021; 33: 100771. CrossRef
The experience of executing preventive measures to protect a nursing home in Taiwan from a COVID-19 outbreak Chia-Yu Huang, Yu-Hung Kuo, Shu-Ting Chuang, Hung-Rong Yen, Sio-Ian Tou European Geriatric Medicine.2021; 12(3): 609. CrossRef
Everyday life in a Swedish nursing home during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative interview study with persons 85 to 100 years Qarin Lood, Maria Haak, Synneve Dahlin-Ivanoff BMJ Open.2021; 11(6): e048503. CrossRef
First
Prev
