Hoong Kai Chua

1 Introduction Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is a highly infectious respiratory virus that primarily spreads through air droplets or contact surfaces [1]. While most infected people recover without hospitalization, the disease can be particularly severe or fatal in older adults, unvaccinated individuals, and those with underlying health conditions [2, 3].

Abstract In the absence of effective pharmaceutical interventions early in an infectious disease outbreak, non-pharmaceutical measures, especially isolating infected individuals, critically limit its impact. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has sparked debates on optimal isolation guidelines. This study proposes a variable isolation period approach (variable-period approach), tailoring isolation durations for distinct population groups with varied viral load dynamics.

1 Introduction The spread of multiple severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has demonstrated the pivotal role of viral load data in pandemic preparedness. For example, viral load data is useful to inform contact tracing [1], develop isolation guidelines [2, 3], and monitor the epidemiological situation [4].