Calculate Appropriate Isolation Period for COVID-19 Patients Using Rapid Antigen Test Results! ... Professor Kim Kwangsoo of Pukyong National University Announces Research Findings

Image of COVID-19 infection isolation termination criteria design.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Duyul] As discussions continue regarding the isolation period for COVID-19 infected individuals, a study has been published that calculates an isolation period minimizing both the burden on the infected and the risk of transmission.

In South Korea and several other countries, COVID-19 infected individuals are isolated for a certain period after confirmation. Since some people lose infectivity before the isolation ends while others remain infectious, there has been a demand for criteria to determine an appropriate isolation period.

Professor Kim Kwangsoo of Pukyong National University, along with researcher Jeong Yongdam and Professor Jeong Ilhyo from Pusan National University, and research teams from Nagoya University in Japan and Indiana University in the United States, conducted a joint study presenting results on designing COVID-19 isolation guidelines using rapid antigen test results.

Professor Kim stated, “Instead of isolating infected individuals for a fixed period, isolating them until their viral load falls below a threshold is a way to reduce the burden on the infected.”

The joint research team performed computer simulations under various conditions such as test intervals and the number of negative confirmations, conducting antigen tests and calculating the probability (risk) that an infected person remains infectious at the end of isolation and the duration of continued isolation after losing infectivity (burden).

The study found that designing isolation termination criteria based on the antigen test detection limit can reduce both risk and burden.

When controlling for the same level of risk, if the antigen test detection limit is higher than the infectivity threshold, multiple negative confirmations are required, whereas if it is below the infectivity threshold, the isolation period can be shortened with fewer negative confirmations.

Professor Kim Kwangsoo of Pukyong National University recently published the study titled ‘Designing isolation guidelines for COVID-19 patients with rapid antigen tests’ as a co-first author in the international journal Nature Communications.

Professor Kim Kwang-su, Pukyong National University.

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