COVID-19 vaccination, incidence, and mortality rates among individuals with mental disorders in South Korea: a nationwide retrospective study

We examined COVID-19 vaccination, incidence, and mortality rates among patients with mental health disorders in South Korea from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2021. The study found that individuals with mental disorders had higher COVID-19 incidence and mortality than those without. Patients with mood disorders had higher vaccination rates and COVID-19 incidence and mortality than those without mental disorders. In contrast, patients with schizophrenia had lower vaccination rates, slightly lower COVID-19 incidence, and higher COVID-19 mortality. Patients with mental health disorders have been vulnerable to COVID-19, and more attention should be paid to their vaccination and health needs.

Power of universal health coverage in the era of COVID-19: A nationwide observational study.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, South Korea has achieved perfect universal health coverage (UHC)-all Koreans receive UHC regardless of their socioeconomic status. The current study investigated whether socioeconomic disparities remained in COVID-19 health outcomes under UHC. METHODS: This retrospective, observational study included all 7,590 confirmed COVID-19 patients in South Korea up to 15 May 2020. We used the official medical claim database, and socioeconomic status was estimated by insurance type (National Health Insurance Service [NHIS] beneficiaries and Medical Aid [MA] recipients). Type of insurance is a well-known indicator of socioeconomic status. Prevalence (per one million), mortality rate (per one million), and case fatality rate were calculated. To determine the factors associated with case fatality rate, multivariable logistic regressions were performed. FINDINGS: The nationwide prevalence, mortality rate, and case fatality rate of COVID-19 was 144•4, 4•3 and 3•0%, respectively. MA recipients had higher prevalence (424•3 vs 136.3), mortality rate (28•3 vs 3•6), and case fatality rate (6•7 vs 2•7) than NHIS beneficiaries. However, the adjusted analysis showed that the type of insurance was not associated with higher odds of case fatality. INTERPRETATION: We found socioeconomic disparities in COVID-19 prevalence and fatality despite UHC. However, disparities in fatality were not due to socioeconomic status, but due to the poor underlying health conditions of the people. This result can be explained by a combination of UHC, rapid early testing and treatment, transmission-reducing behaviours, and regional preparedness. FUNDING: This research did not receive any funding.

Prevalence and severity of COVID-19 among children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders in the Republic of Korea.

LAY ABSTRACT: It is more difficult to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, as they have trouble communicating and adjusting to their new daily lives like wearing masks and social distancing. However, there have not been many studies that focused on coronavirus disease 2019 among children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. We included all Korean citizens under the age of 19 as our study subjects. Among them, we found out the prevalence, severity, and case fatality of coronavirus disease 2019 in children and adolescents with and without autism spectrum disorder. The prevalence of coronavirus disease 2019 among children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder was lower than that of those without autism spectrum disorder. For severity, children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder were more likely to enter severe stages of disease and had higher hospitalization rates than those without autism spectrum disorder. There were no deaths among children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, while a few died among children and adolescents without autism spectrum disorder. However, due to the small number of deaths, it was difficult to determine whether there was a link between autism spectrum disorder and coronavirus disease 2019 deaths. We found that the appropriate quarantine policies have played a great role in sustaining overall low prevalence and higher hospitalization rates among children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder than those without autism spectrum disorder. Furthermore, because Korea has fewer schools and facilities (i.e. personal care, social training, and skilled nursing facility) for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder than other countries, those with autism spectrum disorder have fewer social contacts than even before the COVID-19 pandemic.