Xiao-Ming Zhang, MSN; Hui-Er Zhou, MD; Wen-Wu Zhang, BMed; Qing-Li Dou, Ph.D.; Ye Li, MD; JianWei, MD; Rui Hu, MD; Jiangping Liu, MD; Andy S. K. Cheng, PhD
Key Points
Question – Which community preventive
measures were implemented in a
Chinese city to address the coronavirus
disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and
were they associated with limited
community transmission?
Findings – This retrospective case series
included 7 imported COVID-19 cases
and 800 individuals at high risk. After
the implementation of community
measures, no locally acquired case of
COVID-19 with indirect links to
confirmed cases was identified in the
community.
Meaning – The findings of this study
suggest that the implementation of
community containment strategies by a
multidisciplinary team may limit the
community transmission of COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
IMPORTANCE – A new outbreak of pneumonia caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in Wuhan, China, is spreading rapidly around the globe. Limited information on the control in community settings is available.
OBJECTIVE – To detail measures enacted within a community to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and to evaluate the spread of COVID-19 associated with the implementation of the program.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS – This case series study details the implementation of prevention measures in a specific community setting among community-dwelling individuals exposed to or at risk of COVID-19 in Haiyu, Shenzhen, China, from January 23 to April 10, 2020.
EXPOSURES – Community containment strategies for tracking, quarantine, and management were strictly, cooperatively, and effectively implemented by a team that included a general practitioner, a community manager, and public safety bureau officials.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES – Number of locally acquired cases with indirect links to confirmed COVID-19 cases. Diagnosis with COVID-19 was confirmed when throat swab samples tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 on reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.
RESULTS – Approximately 34 686 individuals live in Haiyu, including 2382 residents aged 65 years or older. Seven individuals with COVID-19 acquired outside the community (age, 20-70 years; 3 [42%] women) were moved from quarantine to a hospital for standard isolation treatment. A total of 20 people who were asymptomatic and who had had direct contact with these individuals were closely observed by health care workers at a nearby hotel. Additionally, 800 individuals considered to be at higher risk were moved from quarantine to home isolation for 14 days. There were no locally acquired cases of COVID-19 with indirect links reported in the Haiyu community from the time that the study began on January 23, 2020, to April 10, 2020.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE – These findings suggest that cooperation among the authorities of multiple sectors allowed for the implementation of preventive measures that were associated with limited community transmission.
JAMA Network Open. 2020;3(6):e2012934. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.12934
