2022年3月某婚宴後新型冠狀病毒群聚事件調查

Investigation of a COVID-19 Outbreak Following a Wedding Banquet, March 2022, Taiwan

2022年3月18日，嘉義市衛生局獲報一位30多歲男性確診新型冠狀病毒感染症，因此進行疫情調查處理。此病例曾在3月13日參加某婚宴；至4月2日，共18位本土案與該婚宴有關。經比對檢驗結果、接觸史及發病日，其中一位賓客應是群聚事件起源個案。全案歷經兩個感染鏈，共三波的傳播，涉及接觸者將近3千人，橫跨16個縣市，社區篩檢則超過5千人。嚴重特殊傳染性肺炎中央流行疫情指揮中心因此重申，宴席不得逐桌敬酒敬茶。
跨縣市齊聚一堂，社交並聚餐，為感染症高散播風險的情境。大流行之防堵期內，持續擴大檢驗量能、引入有效藥物，與民眾普遍接種疫苗及補強劑、持續防疫行為，落實輕重症之分流，才能降低染病、發病、重症、傳播的機率，逐漸恢復正常生活。

On March 18, 2022, Chiayi City Health Bureau received a report of a male patient in his 30s confirmed to have COVID-19, prompting an epidemiological investigation. The patient had attended a wedding banquet on March 13. By April 2, 18 locally acquired COVID-19 cases were linked to this event. Following analysis of test results, contact histories, and disease onset dates, a banquet guest was identified as patient zero.
The outbreak had two infection chains, with three transmission waves, impacting nearly 3,000 people across 16 counties and cities. Community screening efforts tested over 5,000 people. In light of this outbreak, the Central Epidemic Command Center reiterated its guideline, prohibiting toasting table-by-table at banquets.
Social gatherings that bring together people from different regions, such as banquets, pose a significant risk of infectious disease transmission. During the containment phase of a pandemic, expanding testing capacity, introducing effective treatments, ensuring widespread vaccination and booster coverage, maintaining consistent disease prevention behaviors, and triaging patients by severity are essential in reducing the risk of infection, illness, severe diseases, and transmission, ultimately enabling a return to normal life.