Outbreak Investigation of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in A Prison in Chumphon Province, May 3-6, 2024
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14456/dcj.2025.12Keywords:
disease investigation, outbreak, coronavirus disease 2019, prison, omicronAbstract
On May 2, 2024, at 4:37 p.m., the Chumphon Provincial Public Health Office reported finding 112 possible cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a prison, divided into 69 suspected cases and 43 probable patients. From May 3-6, 2024, a joint investigation team went to the area of the incident to confirm the outbreak, search for infections and identify related factors. A total of 279 cases were identified from April 23 to May 6, 2024, comprising 276 inmates, 2 staff members, and 1 external contact. There were 207 suspected patients, 67 probable patients, and 5 confirmed patients. The patients were aged between 18 and 68 years old with an average age of 37 years. Most of them had symptoms of fever and sore throat (53.85%), runny nose (52.31%), and cough (46.15%). The common risky behaviors for infection were sharing items (69.56%), sleeping closely (44.92%), and doing activities together (10.14%). After randomly collecting samples of 5 inmates who tested positive with ATK, it was confirmed that all samples contained the Omicron strain. Factors affecting the outbreak included overcrowding in the prison (0.91 m2/person). Additionally, outsiders enter prison to engage in activities without testing for ATK before entering and not wearing masks while in prison before the outbreak. Strict adherence to prison COVID-19 surveillance, prevention, and care guidelines is essential to reduce the risk of future outbreaks.
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