Cargando…

A three-generation family cluster with COVID-19 infection: should quarantine be prolonged?

OBJECTIVES: Families are a transmission route for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) because of the close contact. Monitoring of the viral load will be a valuable method to reduce the optimal number of quarantine days, especially in presymptomatic and symptomatic carriers o...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Yang, M.-C., Hung, P.-P., Wu, Y.-K., Peng, M.-Y., Chao, Y.-C., Su, W.-L.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. 2020
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7260523/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32526560
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2020.05.043
Descripción
Sumario:OBJECTIVES: Families are a transmission route for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) because of the close contact. Monitoring of the viral load will be a valuable method to reduce the optimal number of quarantine days, especially in presymptomatic and symptomatic carriers of their households. The traditional three-generation families living together are seen frequently in East Asia, including in Taiwan. STUDY DESIGN: We report on a family cluster with six individuals infected with coronavirus disease in Taiwan. METHODS: The current public policy in Taiwan is quarantine for at least 14 days, based on the incubation period, or until the patient has tested negative three days in a row using the SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Details on the onset date of clinical symptoms, throat swab conversion, and course of disease were collected from medical records retrospectively. RESULTS: In the household of this three-generation Taiwanese family, the infection rate was 60%. The ratio of males to females was 4:2, and the age range was 11–85 years. The prevalence of asymptomatic disease was 33.3% (2/6). The longest throat swab conversion time was 37 days, and the estimated course of disease from symptoms to first conversion of throat swab was 59 days. CONCLUSIONS: Large families, including three-generation families in a single dwelling, should be monitored when the index case is found. Presymptomatic and symptomatic family members could be quarantined for an appropriate duration which, in our experience, is 2 months.