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. Moreover, the daily number of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Korean military and in the population of Korean civilians adjusted to the same with military were compared.

Results: The trends of COVID-19 occurrence in the military after emergence of the omicron variant was significantly increased (regression coefficient, 23.071; 95% confidence interval, 16.122-30.020; < 0.001). The COVID-19 incidence rate in the Korean military was lower than that in the civilians, but after the emergence of the omicron variant, the increased incidence rate in the military followed that of the civilian population.

Conclusion: The outbreak of the omicron variant occurred in the Korean military despite maintaining high vaccination coverage and intensive non-pharmacological interventions.