Investigation of COVID-19 outbreak at a refugee transit centre, Kisoro District, Uganda, June–July 2022
Peter Kawungezi, Richard Migisha, Robert Zavuga, Brenda Nakafeero Simbwa, Jane Frances Zalwango, Mackline Ninsiima, Thomas Kiggundu, Brian Agaba, Irene Kyamwine, Daniel Kadobera, Benon Kwesiga, Lilian Bulage, Robert Kaos Majwala, Alex Riolexus Ario

TL;DR
A study investigated a COVID-19 outbreak in a Ugandan refugee center and found that overcrowding and lack of mask use contributed to the spread.
Contribution
The study identifies risk factors and effective control measures for preventing future outbreaks in refugee settings.
Findings
Close contact with symptomatic individuals significantly increased the odds of infection.
Facemask use was strongly protective against contracting COVID-19.
Overcrowding and poor ventilation were observed as key facilitators of the outbreak.
Abstract
Due to conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), approximately 34,000 persons arrived at Nyakabande Transit Centre (NTC) between March and June 2022. On June 12, 2022, Kisoro District reported >330 cases of COVID-19 among NTC residents. We investigated the outbreak to assess its magnitude, identify risk factors, and recommend control measures. We defined a confirmed case as a positive SARS-CoV-2 antigen test in an NTC resident during March 1–June 30, 2022. We generated a line list through medical record reviews and interviews with residents and health workers. We assessed the setting to understand possible infection mechanisms. In a case-control study, we compared exposures between cases (persons staying ≥5 days at NTC between June 26 and July 16, 2022, with a negative COVID-19 test at NTC entry and a positive test at exit) and unmatched controls (persons with a negative…
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Taxonomy
TopicsCOVID-19 epidemiological studies · COVID-19 Digital Contact Tracing · COVID-19 diagnosis using AI
