Trends in Confirmed COVID-19 Cases in the Korean Military Before and After the Emergence of the Omicron Variant.

Background: Due to the higher transmissibility and increased immune escape of the omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the number of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has skyrocketed in the Republic of Korea. Here, we analyzed the change in trend of the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Korean military after the emergence of the omicron variant on December 5, 2021.

Methods: An interrupted time-series analysis was performed of the daily number of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Korean military from September 1, 2021 to April 10, 2022, before and after the emergence of the omicron variant.

Analyses of Confirmed COVID-19 Cases Among Korean Military Personnel After Mass Vaccination.

Background: The military was one of the first groups in Korea to complete mass vaccination against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to their high vulnerability to COVID-19. To confirm the effect of mass vaccination, this study analyzed the patterns of confirmed cases within Korean military units.

Methods: From August 1 to September 15, 2021, all epidemiological data regarding confirmed COVID-19 cases in military units were reviewed.

Novel viruses in hard ticks collected in the Republic of Korea unveiled by metagenomic high-throughput sequencing analysis.

Ticks are vectors of a wide range of zoonotic viruses of medical and veterinary importance. Recently, metagenomics studies demonstrated that they are also the source of potentially pathogenic novel viruses. During the period from 2015 to 2017, questing ticks were collected by dragging the vegetation from geographically distant locations in the Republic of Korea (ROK) and a target-independent high-throughput sequencing method was utilized to study their virome.

Whole-genome sequence analysis of Zika virus, amplified from urine of traveler from the Philippines.

Zika virus (ZIKV) (genus Flavivirus, family Flaviviridae) is an emerging pathogen associated with microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome. The rapid spread of ZIKV disease in over 60 countries and the large numbers of travel-associated cases have caused worldwide concern. Thus, intensified surveillance of cases among immigrants and tourists from ZIKV-endemic areas is important for disease control and prevention.