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Booster doses of mRNA vaccines have been shown to reduce the risk for severe SARS-CoV-2 infection (1,2); however, protection wanes a few months after vaccination, particularly in high-risk populations (3,4). [...]

Since their rollout, vaccines have been highly effective globally in controlling coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (1). Breakthrough infections have been reported in [...]

Effective contact tracing is critical to controlling the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) (1). South Korea adopted a rigorous contact-tracing program comprising traditional shoe-leather epidemiology and new methods to track [...]

Since the first imported case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was confirmed in South Korea on January 20, 2020, a sharp increase in the number of COVID-19 cases has been observed, [...]

Background: The long-term mortality and morbidity of patients with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) remain unclear. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted using the National Health Insurance Service dataset on hospitalized patients with SFTS aged ≥20 years between 2016 and 2021 (n = 1,217). Each SFTS case was matched with three controls hospitalized for non-SFTS-related diseases using propensity score matching. The all-cause mortality of patients with SFTS was evaluated during the one-year follow-up and compared with that of controls. Post-discharge events were investigated to determine the effects of SFTS on post-acute sequelae. Results: Finally, 1,105 patients with SFTS and 3,315 controls were included. Patients with SFTS had a higher risk of death during the one-year follow-up than that of controls (hazard ratio [HR], 2·26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1·82–2·81). Thirty-day mortality was significantly higher in the SFTS group (HR, 3·99; 95% CI, 3·07–5·19) than in the control group. An increased risk of death after 31–365 days was observed among controls, though this difference was significant only among patients in their 80s (HR, 0·18; 95% CI, 0·06–0·57). For post-discharge events, patients in the SFTS group exhibited a higher risk of readmission (HR, 1·17; 95% CI, 1·04–1·32) and emergency room visit (HR, 2·32; 95% CI, 1·96–2·76) than those in the control group. Conclusion: SFTS induces a higher risk of short-term mortality and post-acute sequelae in hospitalized patients during a one-year follow-up than non-SFTS-related diseases. Our results provide guidance for the management of SFTS. Author summary: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a life-threatening viral disease, which has expanded beyond Asian countries. However, most studies have focused on the short-term mortality of patients with SFTS, and knowledge of their long-term outcomes is limited. This nationwide cohort study evaluated long-term outcomes of hospitalized patients with SFTS between 2016 and 2021 using the national dataset. We found that hospitalized patients with SFTS had higher one-year mortality (HR, 2.26) than those without SFTS. An increased mortality risk was attributed to death in the first 30 days of hospitalisation (HR, 3.99). Although the long-term mortality (31–365 days) did not differ between patients with and without SFTS, except for those in their 80s, patients with SFTS suffered from post-acute events, including readmission (HR, 1.17) or emergency room visit (HR, 2.32) during the one-year follow-up. SFTS is an emerging infectious disease that demands attention. The disease burden extends beyond the acute phase, with patients often experiencing ongoing health problems even after hospital discharge. Our findings underscore the post-acute burden of SFTS and offer valuable insights for the development of effective management plans for acute and post-acute illnesses in patients with SFTS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We estimate the effectiveness of a fourth dose booster of coronavirus disease 2019 mRNA vaccine in individuals aged ≥60 years during Omicron BA.2 and BA.5 circulation in Korea. The effectiveness against critical infection was 67.7% (95% confidence interval, 50.7%–78.8%) at 31–60 days and 62.1% (95% confidence interval, 45.5%–73.7%) at 61–90 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study to estimate severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) breakthrough infection among recipients of 4 different vaccines in South Korea. Age-adjusted breakthrough infection rate per month was highest for Janssen (42.6/100,000 population), followed by AstraZeneca (21.7/100,000 population), Pfizer-BioNTech (8.5/100,000 population), and Moderna (1.8/100,000 population). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined life expectancies in 25 gus, administrative districts of Seoul, the capital of Korea, by gender in 1995, 2002, and 2008 to explore trends in mortality inequality among areas. The authors constructed single-decrement life tables and employed between-group variance, the Theil index, and mean log deviation to measure absolute and relative disparities in life expectancy among areas during the periods 1995-2002 and 2002-2008. It was found that life expectancy gaps between gus have widened in absolute and relative terms in both genders over the decade, and that this pattern was particularly dramatic in females after 2002. This increasing gap could be attributable to the more negative health impact on females since the late 1990s stemming from the economic crisis, eventually reflected in their places of residence. Thus, a social buffer system to narrow the health gap between geographic areas and social classes must be established. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]