Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody detection among healthcare workers and hospital staff of a university hospital in Colombia

• Published in: IJID regions Vol. 3; pp. 150 - 156
• Main Authors: Caballero, Nohemí, Nieto, María A., Suarez-Zamora, David A., Moreno, Sergio, Remolina, Camila I., Durán, Daniela, Vega, Daniela, Rodríguez-Urrego, Paula A., Gómez, Claudia P., Rojas, Diana P., Ramírez, Andrea, Martínez, Oscar, Baldión-Elorza, Ana M., Hernández, Luis J., Quintero, Juliana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-06-2022; Elsevier
• Subjects: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Collection; COVID-19; COVID-19 serological testing; health personnel; SARS-CoV-2; seroepidemiological studies; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; HCWs; seroepidemiological studies; ICU; COVID-19 serological testing; ER; health personnel; WHO; HCWs, Healthcare workers; ICU, Intensive-care unit; ER, Emergency room; SARS-CoV-2, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2; WHO, World Health Organization; COVID-19, Coronavirus disease 2019
• ISSN: 2772-7076; 2772-7076
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijregi.2022.03.013

•The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among hospital workers in a Colombian university hospital was low.•The presence of antibodies against the virus was high among healthcare workers.•Some professions showed a higher chance of being SARS-CoV-2 seropositive.
The aim of this study was to determine current and previous SARS-COV-2 infection, and describe risk factors associated with seropositivity, among HCWs and hospital staff between June and October of 2020.
Data from the day of enrollment for a prospective cohort study were analyzed to determine point prevalence and seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in HCWs and hospital staff of a university hospital in Colombia. Respiratory samples were collected to perform RT-PCR tests, along with blood samples to measure SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies. Data on nosocomial and community risk factors for infection were also collected and analyzed.
420 HCWs and hospital staff members were included. The seroprevalence at baseline was 23.2%, of which 10.7% had only IgM antibodies, 0.7% had IgG, and 11.7% had IgM and IgG. The prevalence of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection was 1.9%. Being a nurse assistant was significantly associated with seropositivity when compared with all other job duties (PR 2.39, 95% CI 1.27–3.65, p = 0.01).
Overall SARS-CoV-2 prevalence was 1.9% and seroprevalence was 23.15%. Nurse assistants, medical doctors or students, and laboratory workers had a higher possibility of being SARS-CoV-2 seropositive.