Open AccessAnalysis of a city‐wide COVID‐19 prevention strategy for aged‐care facilities during third and fifth waves of COVID‐19 in Kyoto City, Kyoto, Japan
Author(s) -
Nagao Miki,
Matsumura Yasufumi,
Yamamoto Masaki,
Shinohara Koh,
Yukawa Satomi,
Noguchi Taro,
Tsuchido Yasuhiro,
Ikeda Takeshi
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
influenza and other respiratory viruses
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.743
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1750-2659
pISSN - 1750-2640
DOI - 10.1111/irv.12981
Subject(s) - covid-19 , pandemic , medicine , virology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , pathology , disease , outbreak
Background During the third wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic at the end of 2020, clusters occurred frequently in aged‐care facilities (ACFs), which put pressure on the medical field in Japan. Based on this experience, Kyoto University and Kyoto City collaborated to promote a citywide COVID‐19 prevention strategy to prevent the spread of COVID‐19 within ACFs. The aim of this study was to clarify the effect of the prevention strategy among ACFs in Kyoto City during the third and fifth waves of the pandemic. Methods During the study period, the following measures were adopted as the prevention strategy in all ACFs: (1) active polymerase chain reaction (PCR) mass testing and facility‐wide testing when a single case was identified, (2) implementation of strategies to prevent transmission within a facility, and (3) vaccination program for ACFs. Results Of the 1,144 facilities subjected to the mass testing, 71.0% participated in the whole program including active PCR testing. The remainder participated in the rest of the programs. The prevalence of ACF‐related COVID‐19 cases among total COVID‐19 cases in Kyoto City decreased from 7.9% in the third wave to 4.1% in the fourth wave and 2.1% in the fifth wave. The incidence of clusters and proportion of severe elderly cases also decreased during the study period. Conclusions A city‐wide multidisciplinary effort including PCR mass testing and a vaccination program in cooperation with a university and local administrative office successfully reduced the clusters and transmission in ACFs in Kyoto City, Japan.