Low rate of COVID-19 seroconversion in health-care workers at a Department of Infectious Diseases in Sweden during the later phase of the first wave; a prospective longitudinal seroepidemiological study.
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Rashid-Abdi M, Krifors A, Sälléber A, Eriksson J, Månsson E
Infect Dis (Lond) - (-) 1-7 [2020-11-24; online 2020-11-24]
Background: Health-care workers are at risk of contracting and transmitting SARS-CoV-2. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies and the rate of seroconversion in an environment with high exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Methods: 131 health-care workers at the Department of Infectious Diseases in Västerås, Sweden, were included in the study. Abbott's SARS-COV-2 IgG immunoassay was used with a signal cut-off ratio of ≥1.4. Every third week from the beginning of May, blood samples were drawn, and the participants completed a questionnaire regarding symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and the result of any SARS-CoV-2 PCR performed since the last sampling occasion. Participants with IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were re-sampled only on the sixth and last occasion. Results: At the start of the study, 18 (15%) participants had SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies. At the end, 25 (19%) of 131 participants were seropositive. One case of asymptomatic infection was detected, and two cases with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 did not develop IgG antibodies. Conclusion: The low rate of seroconversion during the study suggests that it is possible to prevent transmission of SARS-COV-2 in a high-exposure environment. Compliance with adequate infection control guidelines is the likely explanation of our findings.
PubMed 33232190
DOI 10.1080/23744235.2020.1849787
Crossref 10.1080/23744235.2020.1849787