Cross-sectional prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in healthcare workers in paediatric facilities in eight countries.
J Hosp Infect
; 110: 60-66, 2021 Apr.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1087052
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Healthcare workers (HCWs) have been disproportionately affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which may be driven, in part, by nosocomial exposure. If HCW exposure is predominantly nosocomial, HCWs in paediatric facilities, where few patients are admitted with COVID-19, may lack antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and be at increased risk during the current resurgence.AIM:
To compare the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 amongst HCWs in paediatric facilities in seven European countries and South Africa (N=8).METHODS:
All categories of paediatric HCWs were invited to participate in the study, irrespective of previous symptoms. A single blood sample was taken and data about previous symptoms were documented. Serum was shipped to a central laboratory in London where SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G was measured.FINDINGS:
In total, 4114 HCWs were recruited between 1st May and mid-July 2020. The range of seroprevalence was 0-16.93%. The highest seroprevalence was found in London (16.93%), followed by Cape Town, South Africa (10.36%). There were no positive HCWs in the Austrian, Estonian and Latvian cohorts; 2/300 [0.66%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.18-2.4] HCWs tested positive in Lithuania; 1/124 (0.81%, 95% CI 0.14-4.3) HCWs tested positive in Romania; and 1/76 (1.3%, 95% CI 0.23-7.0) HCWs tested positive in Greece.CONCLUSION:
Overall seroprevalence amongst paediatric HCWs is similar to their national populations and linked to the national COVID-19 burden. Staff working in paediatric facilities in low-burden countries have very low seroprevalence rates and thus are likely to be susceptible to COVID-19. Their susceptibility to infection may affect their ability to provide care in the face of increasing cases of COVID-19, and this highlights the need for appropriate preventative strategies in paediatric healthcare settings.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Health Personnel
/
Risk Assessment
/
COVID-19
/
Hospitals, Pediatric
/
Antibodies, Viral
/
Occupational Diseases
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
/
Young adult
Country/Region as subject:
Africa
/
Europa
Language:
English
Journal:
J Hosp Infect
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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