Trends of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Couriers in Risky Business After the Optimization of Prevention and Control Measures — China, December 2022 to January 2023

INTRODUCTION: On December 7, 2022, China implemented “Ten New Measures” to optimize prevention and control measures for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the national and regional trends of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among couriers in China from December 2022 to January 2023. METHODS: Data from the National Sentinel Community-based Surveillance in China was utilized, including participants from 31 provincial-level administrative divisions and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Participants were tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection twice a week from December 16, 2022 to January 12, 2023. Infection was defined as a positive result for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid or antigen. The daily average newly positive rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the estimated daily percentage change (EDPC) were calculated. RESULTS: In this cohort, 8 rounds of data were collected. The daily average newly positive rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection decreased from 4.99% in Round 1 to 0.41% in Round 8, with an EDPC of −33.0%. Similar trends of the positive rate were also observed in the eastern (EDPC: −27.7%), central (EDPC: −38.0%) and western regions (EDPC: −25.5%). Couriers and community population showed a similar temporal trend, with the peak daily average newly positive rate of couriers being higher than that of community population. After Round 2, the daily average newly positive rate of couriers decreased sharply, becoming lower than that of community population in the same period. CONCLUSIONS: The peak of SARS-CoV-2 infection among couriers in China has passed. As couriers are a key population for SARS-CoV-2 infection, they should be monitored continuously.