Impact of isolating COVID-19 patients in a supervised community facility on transmission reduction among household members

Abstract

Background: Isolation of COVID-19 patients has been universally implemented to control transmission of the outbreak. Hotels and other facilities have been adapted to help appropriate isolation be achieved. Our study tested the efficacy of isolating patients in a reconditioned hotel versus isolation in their domiciles to reduce infection transmission. Methods: Observational cohort study based on a survey to COVID-19 patients between April and June 2020. One cohort had been isolated in a hotel and the other in their domiciles. Multivariate regression models analyzed the factors related to the occurrence of COVID-19 infection among the household members. Results: A total of 229 household members of COVID-19 patients were analyzed, 139 of them belonging to the group of hotel-isolated patients and 90 in the group of domicile-isolated ones. More than half of the household members became infected (53.7%). Higher risk of infection was found in the household members of domicile-isolated patients isolated and in those reporting overcrowding at home, (odds ratio [OR] 1.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.89-3.12) and (OR 1.44, 95% CI 0.81; 2.56), respectively. Conclusions: The isolation of COVID-19 patients in community-supervised facilities may protect their household members from transmission of the disease. Overcrowded homes may contribute to the transmission of the infection.