Volume 27, Number 1—January 2021
Research Letter
Absence of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission from Children in Isolation to Guardians, South Korea
Table
Clinical characteristics and infection control measures of 12 children with COVID-19 and their uninfected guardians sharing hospital isolation rooms, South Korea, February 18–June 7, 2020*
Characteristics | Patient no. |
|||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
Patient sex | F | F | M | F | M | M | M | M | F | M | M | M |
Patient age, y |
6 |
9 |
8 |
9 |
11 |
8 |
0 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
Days of isolation |
7 |
37 |
17 |
9 |
15 |
21 |
19 |
12 |
16 |
31 |
30 |
17 |
Symptoms |
None |
None |
Mild FV, C |
None |
None |
None |
FV, C, S |
None |
None |
FV, ST |
FV, V |
C, S |
Pneumonia |
N |
N |
Y |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
Face mask† | KF94 | Surgical | Surgical | Surgical | Surgical | Surgical | None | KF94 | KF94 | KF80 | None | KF94 |
Compliance |
Good |
Good |
Poor |
Good |
Good |
Poor |
NA |
Fair |
Fair |
Fair |
NA |
Poor |
Guardian | Mother | Mother | Mother | Mother | Mother | Mother | Father | Mother | Uncle | Mother | Mother | Mother |
Symptoms‡ | None | None | None | None | None | None | None | None | None | None | None | C, S, H |
Face mask | KF94 | KF94 | N95 | N95 | N95 | N95 | KF94 | KF94 | KF94 | KF80 | Surgical | KF94 |
Goggles | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N |
Gloves | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y |
Gown/coverall | Y/N | Y/N | N/Y | N/Y | N/Y | N/Y | N/Y | N/N | N/N | N/N | N/N | Y/N |
Contact with patient§ | >1 m | Close | Close | Close | Close | Close | Close | Close | >1 m | Close | Close | Close |
*Guardians were with the children for the duration of their isolation. COVID-19, coronavirus disease; C, cough; FV, fever; H, headache; NA, not applicable; S, sputum; ST, sore throat; V, vomiting. †Compliance was deemed good when masks were worn most of the time, fair for frequent adherence, and poor when worn <50% of observed time. A KF94 mask filters ≈94% of particles of 0.4 μm in size, an N95 mask filters ≈95% of particles of 0.3 μm in size, and a KF80 mask filters ≈80% of particles of 0.6 μm. ‡None of the guardians tested positive for COVID-19. §Guardians for patients 1 and 9 maintained >1-meter distance from patients, but other guardians had frequent close contact with patients.