The profile of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 under the Quarantine Act in a designated hospital near an international airport in Japan.

ABSTRACT

The Japanese Government has implemented quarantine measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals testing positive at the airport's quarantine office were lodged either in a designated hotel or hospital under the Quarantine Act. The aim of this study is to describe the management of patients with COVID-19 admitted under the Quarantine Act and to evaluate its impact on medical resources. Data were retrospectively collected, including demographics, comorbidities, status at admission, clinical condition, treatment, outcomes, status at discharge, duration of hospitalization, and the cost of hospitalization for all patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at this facility under the Quarantine Act between January 2020 and April 2021. A total of 48 patients (39 males, 9 females; median age 38.5 years) with COVID-19, half (52.1%) of which were Japanese, were hospitalized under the Quarantine Act. The majority (87.5%) of the patients lived or planned to stay outside of Chiba Prefecture. The most frequent time of admission was 9 PM-1 AM. Hypoxia on admission was observed in 10 (20.8%) patients and oxygen therapy was provided to 8 (16.7%). One patient died due to respiratory failure. The median duration of hospitalization was 11 days. The total cost of hospitalization was 82,705,289 yen (approximately $760,000), which was covered by public funds. Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 under the Quarantine Act were younger and less severely ill than inpatients with COVID-19 from among the general population in Japan (according to a COVID-19 registry), but consumed a significant amount of medical resources at this hospital. An efficient system to manage patients with COVID-19 in designated hotels should be created and indications for hospitalization should be determined.