Ewha Med J.  2022 Oct;45(4):e18. 10.12771/emj.2022.e18.

The COVID-19 Pandemic Response System at University Level: The Case of Safe Campus Model at Ewha Womans University

• Choi KJ
• Sung N
• Lee SH
• Chang M
• Choi HJ
• Kim CJ
• Choi NK
• Kim H
• Kim YJ
• Lee W
• Park H
• Ha E

• KMID: 2534744
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12771/emj.2022.e18

Abstract

In response to the changes in the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic situation, Ewha Womans University established Ewha Safe Campus (ESC), an on-campus infection outbreak management system, to allow students and faculty members to safely resume face-to face classes in 2022. The COVID-19 testing station, Ewha Safe Station, is the core element of ESC. Symptomatic students and faculty members perform a combo swab self-PCR test or receive a nasopharyngeal swab PCR test from experts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 through early detection and management. ESC is significant in that it detects infection risks and proactively implements preemptive measures in a university. The COVID-19 health response system model at the university level was applied for the first time in South Korea, reaching a milestone in the history of university health in South Korea. In particular, it is highly valuable that the test was free of charge, as it enabled all of the examinees to have easy access to the test through joint cooperation with the Seegene Medical Foundation. This is a successful example of cooperation between schools and private institutions for public health improvement. In the future, the direct and indirect effects of the establishment and implementation of ESC need to be evaluated and confirmed, and areas requiring improvements need to be identified in preparation for another infectious disease outbreak in the future.

Keyword

COVID-19; Ewha Safe Campus; Ewha Safe Station; Nasal swab

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1. The EWU COVID-19 testing areas (ESSs). The map of Ewha Safe Stations. The combo swab testing area and symptomatic testing area were separately operated. COVID-19, Coronavirus disease 2019.

Reference

References

1. World Health Organization. Timeline: WHO's COVID-19 response [Internet]. Geneva (CH): World Health Organization;c2022. cited 2022 Sep 23. Available from. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/interactive-timeline.

2. World Health Organization. WHO COVID-19 dashboard [Internet]. Geneva (CH): World Health Organization;c2020. cited 2022 Sep 23. Available from. https://covid19.who.int/.

3. Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Public Health Weekly Report: Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency [Internet]. Cheongju (KR): Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency;c2022. cited 2022 Sep 23. Available from. https://www.kdca.go.kr/board/board.es?mid=a30501000000&bid=0031&cg_code=C06.

4. Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. COVID-19 [Internet]. Cheongju (KR): Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency;c2019. cited 2022 Jan 31. Available from. https://ncov.kdca.go.kr/bdBoardList_Real.do?brdId=1&brdGubun=11&ncvContSeq=&contSeq=&board_id=&gubun=.

5. Ministry of Education. Ministry of Education [Internet]. Sejong (KR): Ministry of Education;;c2022. cited 2022 Oct 13. Available from. https://www.moe.go.kr/boardCnts/viewRenew.do?boardID=294&boardSeq=90598&lev=0&searchType=null&statusYN=W&page=30&s=moe&m=020402&opType=N.

6. Lee RA, Herigon JC, Benedetti A, Pollock NR, Denkinger CM. Performance of saliva, oropharyngeal swabs, and nasal swabs for SARS-CoV-2 molecular detection: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Microbiol 2021. 59(5):e02881–20. DOI: 10.1128/JCM.02881-20. PMID: 33504593. PMCID: PMC8091856.

7. Nasiri K, Dimitrova A. Comparing saliva and nasopharyngeal swab specimens in the detection of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Dent Sci. 2021; 16(3):799–805. DOI: 10.1016/j.jds.2021.01.010. PMID: 33558826. PMCID: PMC7846225.

8. Takeuchi Y, Furuchi M, Kamimoto A, Honda K, Matsumura H, Kobayashi R. Saliva-based PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 detection. J Oral Sci. 2020; 62(3):350–351. DOI: 10.2334/josnusd.20-0267. PMID: 32581183.

9. Moraleda C, Domínguez-Rodríguez S, Mesa JM, García-Sánchez P, de la Serna M, Alonso-Cadenas JA, et al. Oral saliva swab reverse transcription PCR for Covid-19 in the paediatric population. Arch Dis Child. 2022; 1–8. DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2021-323712. PMID: 35688603. PMCID: PMC9240444.

10. Wehrhahn MC, Robson J, Brown S, Bursle E, Byrne S, New D, et al. Self-collection: An appropriate alternative during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. J Clin Virol. 2020; 128:104417. DOI: 10.1016/j.jcv.2020.104417. PMID: 32403007. PMCID: PMC7198188.

11. Salvatore PP, Sula E, Coyle JP, Caruso E, Smith AR, Levine RS, et al. Recent increase in COVID-19 cases reported among adults aged 18–22 years — United States, May 31–September 5, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020; 69(39):1419–1424. DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6939e4. PMID: 33006586. PMCID: PMC7537557.