Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibody in 2,935 Healthcare Workers at 6 Major Hospitals, Daegu, Korea.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

In Korea, the first community outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) occurred in Daegu on February 18, 2020. This study was performed to investigate the prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in healthcare workers (HCWs) at 6 major hospitals in Daegu.

METHODS:

Blood specimens of 2,935 HCWs at 6 major hospitals in Daegu from January 2021 to February 2021 were collected. Every specimen was tested for antibody against SARS-CoV-2 using both Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (Roche Diagnostics, Rotkreuz, Switzerland) and R-FIND COVID-19 IgG/M/A enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit (SG medical Inc., Seoul, Korea) as screening tests. If 1 or more of these screening test results was positive, 2 additional antibody tests were performed using Abbott Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG assay (Abbott, Abbott Park, IL, USA) and cPass SARS-CoV-2 Neutralization Antibody Detection Kit (GenScript USA Inc., Piscataway, NJ, USA). If 2 or more of the total 4 test results were positive, it was determined as positive for the antibody against SARS-CoV-2.

RESULTS:

According to the criteria of SARS-CoV-2 antibody positivity determination, 12 subjects were determined as positive. The overall positive rate of the SARS-CoV-2 antibody was 0.41% (12/2,935). Of the 12 subjects determined as positive, 7 were diagnosed with COVID-19, and the remaining 5 were nondiagnosed cases of COVID-19.

CONCLUSION:

In early 2021, the overall seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibody among HCW located in Daegu was 0.41%, and 0.17% excluding COVID-19 confirmed subjects. These results were not particularly high compared with the general public and were much lower than HCWs in other countries.

• Authors: Yu Kyung Kim, Dohsik Minn, Do Young Song, Chae Hoon Lee, Nam Hee Ryoo, Chang-Ho Jeon, Kyung Eun Song, Jang Soo Suh, Soon Hee Chang
• Journal: Journal of Korean medical science (J Korean Med Sci) Vol. 36 Issue 43 Pg. e294 (Nov 08 2021) ISSN: 1598-6357 [Electronic] Korea (South)
• PMID: 34751011 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: © 2021 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.

Chemical References

• Antibodies, Neutralizing
• Antibodies, Viral
• Immunoglobulin A
• Immunoglobulin G
• Immunoglobulin M

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Antibodies, Neutralizing
• Antibodies, Viral (blood)
• Antibody Specificity
• COVID-19 (diagnosis, epidemiology, immunology)
• Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
• Female
• Health Personnel (statistics & numerical data)
• Hospitals
• Humans
• Immunoglobulin A (blood)
• Immunoglobulin G (blood)
• Immunoglobulin M (blood)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Prevalence
• Republic of Korea (epidemiology)
• SARS-CoV-2