Clinical Course of COVID-19 in Asymptomatic and Mildly Symptomatic Patients: Archives of a Living and Treatment Support Center in South Korea (Part I)

Background: In Daegu, Korea, a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak occurred within a religious group. Because the hospitals in Daegu cannot afford to admit all the infected subjects with COVID-19, the Korean government has turned private dormitories and public organization-run facilities into living and treatment support centers (LTSCs) for isolation of subjects with or without mild symptoms. Methods: Data of 130 COVID-19 patients with or without mild symptoms were collected from the Jecheon LTSCs. Questionnaires about their symptoms were obtained twice per day from March 10, 2020, to April 3, 2020. Findings: A total of five subjects were transferred to general hospitals. Two cases were clearly related to COVID-19. The percentage of asymptomatic cases tended to increase over time from a minimum of 56% to a maximum of 80%. Except for the five subjects who were transferred to hospitals, asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic subjects with COVID-19 did not require specific medical treatment during the LTSC admission period. Interpretation: Subjects with COVID-19 can carry the virus for a long time. even if they are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, and LTSC is one good measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by isolating asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic subjects when a large outbreak occurs. Funding Statement: There was no funding source for this study. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests relevant to this study. Ethics Approval Statement: The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of National Health Insurance Ilsan Hospital (IRB number:2020-04-009). The requirement for written informed consent from patients was waived due to the retrospective nature of the study and its impracticability.