❦ ‘The magnitude of the outbreak illustrates how younger children infected from diverse pediatric facilities can be a major source of widespread household transmission with the potential to facilitate community transmission in the era of the Omicron variant.

With highly transmissible variants such as the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant of concern (VOC) and its subvariants becoming dominant globally, the role of children in transmission dynamics needs to be elucidated to take tailored public health and social measures for the control of outbreaks and pandemics.

On epidemiological investigation, frequent and intimate interactions among children, along with inadequate indoor ventilation, were commonly observed in pediatric facilities.

Given the practical challenges of behavior modification among pediatric populations, including consistent and correct mask use and physical distancing, the environmental control interventions, such as improved ventilation systems, upper-room ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, or portable high-efficiency particulate air-filtration appliances, may offer sustained benefits in stemming the virus transmission in pediatric facilities.’

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📖 (20 Apr 2023 ~ Yonsei Medical Journal) Widespread Household Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) Variant from Children, South Korea, 2022 ➤

© 2023 Park et al / Yonsei Medical Journal.