Table 2.
Case definition
| Confirmed case | A person who has tested positive for the COVID-19 pathogen in accordance with testing standardsa, irrespective of clinical signs and symptoms |
| Suspected case | A person who develops a fever ≥ 37.5°C or respiratory symptoms such as coughing or difficulty breathing within 14 days of coming into contact with a confirmed case while that patient was symptomatic |
| Patient under investigation | Any of the following: |
| ① A person who is suspected of having COVID-19 by their physician (e.g., pneumonia of unknown cause) | |
| ② A person who develops a fever ≥ 37.5°C or respiratory symptoms such as coughing or difficulty breathing within 14 days of travelling to a country with local transmissionb of COVID-19 such as China (including Hong Kong and Macau) | |
| ③ A person with an epidemiological link to the collective outbreak of COVID-19 in Korea who develops a fever ≥ 37.5°C or respiratory symptoms such as coughing or difficulty breathing within 14 days | |
| Contact | Contacts are determined by epidemiological investigation and include the following: |
| ① A patient who received HD treatment at the same time as a confirmed case | |
| ② A patient who received HD treatment without proper disinfection after HD of a confirmed case | |
| ③ A patient or healthcare worker who was exposed to a confirmed case within 2 meters |
COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; HD, hemodialysis.
a
Testing and screening: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) genetic testing (PCR) or virus separation. bRefer to the World Health Organization (WHO) website (local transmission) or the Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (KCDC) website (http://ncov.mohw.go.kr/en).