Rapid Control of a SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant COVID-19 Community Outbreak: The Successful Experience in Pingtung County of Taiwan.

Cherng-Gueih Shy,Jian-He Lu,Min-Nan Hung,Meng-Lun Lu,Yao-Shen Chen,Hsiu-Chun Chang,Hui-Chen Lin,How-Ran Chao,Pi-Sheng Wang

doi:10.3390/ijerph19031421

Abstract

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-associated Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was an outbreak in December, 2019 and rapidly spread to the world. All variants of SARS-CoV-2, including the globally and currently dominant Delta variant (Delta-SARS-CoV-2), caused severe disease and mortality. Among all variants, Delta-SARS-CoV-2 had the highest transmissibility, growth rate, and secondary attack rate than other variants except for the new variant of Omicron that still exists with many unknown effects. In Taiwan, the pandemic Delta-SARS-CoV-2 began in Pingtung from 14 June 2021 and ceased at 11 July 2021. Seventeen patients were infected by Delta-SARS-CoV-2 and 1 person died during the Pingtung outbreak. The Public Health Bureau of Pingtung County Government stopped the Delta-SARS-CoV-2 outbreak within 1 month through measures such as epidemic investigation, rapid gene sequencing, rapidly expanding isolation, expanded screening of the Delta-SARS-CoV-2 antigen for people who lived in regional villages, and indirect intervention, including rapid vaccination, short lockdown period, and travel restrictions. Indirect environmental factors, such as low levels of air pollution, tropic weather in the summer season, and rural areas might have accelerated the ability to control the Delta-SARS-CoV-2 spread. This successful experience might be recommended as a successful formula for the unvaccinated or insufficiently vaccinated regions.

Highlights

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the virus of the SevereAcute Respiratory Syndrome-associated Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), currently continuesInt
The Taiwanese government, PTH, was successful in controlling and preventing Delta-SARS-CoV-2 spread through epidemic investigation, rapid gene sequencing, rapid expanding isolation measures, expanding screening of the COVID-19 antigen for people who lived in regional villages, rapid COVID19 vaccination, and short regional lockdown and travel restrictions, leading to no new cases of Delta-SARS-CoV-2 infection within the community since 26 June, 2021
In Taiwan, Delta-SARS-CoV-2 was identified in Pingtung County on June 14, 2021 (Figure 2). The strategies such as non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI) and pharmaceutical intervention (PI) and the environmental conditions of Pingtung County helped the Taiwanese government control and prevent Delta-SARS-CoV-2 spread

Summary

Introduction

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the virus of the SevereAcute Respiratory Syndrome-associated Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), currently continuesInt. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the virus of the Severe. Acute Respiratory Syndrome-associated Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), currently continues. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 1421 to progress globally. Patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection may have several symptoms and signs, such as non-productive cough, fever, fatigue, myalgia, decreased leukocyte counts, headache, abdominal pain, vomiting, and the disease may further develop into pneumonia, acute respiratory syndrome (ARDS), arrhythmia, or shock [1]. The SARSCoV-2 was further divided into four genera (Alpha-, Beta-, Gamma-, and Delta-) by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) [2]. The new SARS-CoV-2 variant, B.1.1.529, had been confirmed on 9 November 2021 and named Omicron by World

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion