We estimated the nationwide burden of nosocomial S. aureus bloodstream infection (SA-BSI), a major cause of nosocomial infection, in South Korea. To evaluate the nationwide incidence of nosocomial SA-BSI, cases of SA-BSI were prospectively collected from 22 hospitals with over 500 beds over 4?months. Data on patient-days were obtained from a national health insurance database containing the claims data for all healthcare facilities in South Korea. The additional cost of SA-BSI was estimated through a matched case?control study. The economic burden was calculated from the sum of the medical costs, the costs of caregiving and loss of productivity. Three hundred and thirty nine cases of nosocomial SA-BSI were included in the study: 254 cases of methicillin-resistant SA-BSI (MRSA-BSI) and 85 cases of methicillin-susceptible SA-BSI (MSSA-BSI). Death related to BSI occurred in 81 cases (31.9%) of MRSA-BSI and 12 cases (14.1%) of MSSA-BSI. The estimated incidence of nosocomial MRSA-BSI was 0.12/1,000 patient-days and that of nosocomial MSSA-BSI, 0.04/1,000 patient-days. The estimated annual cases of nosocomial BSI were 2,946 for MRSA and 986 for MSSA in South Korea. The additional economic burden per case of nosocomial SA-BSI was US $20,494 for MRSA-BSI and $6,914 for MSSA-BSI. Total additional annual cost of nosocomial SA-BSI was $67,192,559. In view of the burden of nosocomial SA-BSI, a national strategy for reducing nosocomial SA-BSI is urgently needed in South Korea.

Park JW, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2021 Nov;36(45):e312. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2021.36.e312

Jeong YS, et al. Infect Chemother. 2021 Mar;53(1):53-62. https://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2020.0104

Jang Y, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2020 Dec;35(49):e428. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2020.35.e428

To establish a successful anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination strategy, it is necessary to take possible tradeoffs into account. We conducted a survey on vaccinated healthcare workers (HCWs) inthree referral teaching hospitals in the Republic of Korea. We investigated the frequency of vaccination side effects (SEs), the impact on their work productivity, the need for medical attention, and vaccine acceptance. Three groups of HCWs were surveyed: 1406 who had received the first dose of BNT162b2 (BNT162b2#1), 1168 who had received the second dose of BNT162b2 (BNT162b2#2), and 1679 who had received the first dose of ChAdOx1 (ChAdOx1#1). More SEs and impact on work productivity were reported in ChAdOx1#1 than in the other two groups. However, among individuals aged ≥40 years, no significant difference of absence from work was found between ChAdOx1#1 and BN162b2#2 (4.4%, 31/699 vs. 3.0%, 12/405; p = 0.26), and none were hospitalized. Older HCWs in ChAdOx1#1 showed intention to receive the second dose of the vaccine. Although the incidence of SEs and their impacts were greater after the first dose of ChAdOx1 than BNT162b2 in young people, significant impact of SEs seemed to be rare in individuals aged ≥40 years, regardless of the vaccine they received.

Kim T, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2019 Sep;34(39):e256. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2019.34.e256