Jeon Jin-Hwan, Kang Su Jin, Jeong Se-Jin, Jang Hyeon-Cheol, Park Young-Joon, Lee Sang-Eun
Jeju branch office-Honam Regional Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Jeju, Republic of Korea.
The Institute for Social Development and Policy Research, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2023 Aug;14(4):252-262. doi: 10.24171/j.phrp.2023.0125. Epub 2023 Jul 27.
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.
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.
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.
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.
本研究旨在调查韩国首尔一所高中2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）疫情的规模、特征、风险因素及传播方式。
对2021年5月31日起在一所教育机构发生的COVID-19疫情中的1118例确诊病例及密切接触者进行了流行病学调查。采用深入访谈、在线问卷、流程评估和闭路电视分析来制定感染预防措施。识别行为和空间风险因素，并检验统计学意义。
在高三学生中，有33例COVID-19确诊病例（9.6%）。与未使用附属楼自习室的学生相比，使用附属楼自习室的学生感染相对风险有统计学意义的4.3倍升高。此外，闭路电视面部识别分析证实，17.8%的高三学生未戴口罩，按年级计算戴口罩者比例最低。在符合封闭空间3项标准的附属楼自习室进行的空气流行病学调查证实，由于通风系统不佳，自然通风仅为10%。
为预防和管理COVID-19在教育机构中的传播，考虑各学校规模、运营和资源的预先措施至关重要。此外，未来研究应采用多种调查方法，以快速分析更广泛的数据，为基于证据的检疫应对提供信息。
