Out-of-Hospital Cohort Treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients with Mild Symptoms in Korea: an Experience from a Single Community Treatment Center
Journal of Korean Medical Science 2020³â 35±Ç 13È£ p.140 ~ p.140
¹ÚÆò°(Park Peong-Gang) - Ministry of Health and Welfare
(Kim Chang-Hyup) - Kangwon National University Hospital Department of Internal Medicine
ÇãÀ±(Heo Yoon) - Kangwon National University Hospital Department of Otorhinolaryngology
±èż®(Kim Tae-Suk) - Kangwon National University School of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine
¹ÚÂù¿ì(Park Chan-Woo) - Kangwon National University School of Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine
±èÃæÈ¿(Kim Choong-Hyo) - Kangwon National University School of Medicine Department of Neurosurgery
Abstract
The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused a worldwide pandemic. Less than 6 weeks after the first confirmed cases in Korea, the patient number exceeded 5,000, which overcrowded limited hospital resources and forced confirmed patients to stay at home. To allocate medical resources efficiently, Korea implemented a novel institution for the purpose of treating patients with cohort isolation out of hospital, namely the Community Treatment Center (CTC). Herein, we report results of the initial management of patients at one of the largest CTC in Korea. A total of 309 patients were admitted to our CTC. During the first two weeks, 7 patients were transferred to the hospital because of symptom aggravation and 107 patients were discharged without any complication. Although it is a novel concept and may have some limitations, CTC may be a very cost-effective and resource-saving strategy in managing massive cases of COVID-19 or other emerging infectious diseases.
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Community Treatment Center, Medical Resources, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19
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À¯È¿¼º°á°ú(Recomendation)
After Korea implemented CTCs on March 2, the number of patients infected with COVID-19 who had no other choice but to be isolated at home due to the shortage of hospital beds have dropped from 3,000 to less than 300 on March 18, as CTCs could accommodate most of them; All 12 CTCs, which are currently operating, are performing the role of controlling the source of infection and screening for patients with severe conditions.