Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Antibody Prevalence in Blood in a Large School Community Subject to a Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak: A Cross-sectional Study.
Clin Infect Dis
; 73(2): e458-e465, 2021 07 15.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1315660
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
A severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak affecting 52 people from a large school community in Santiago, Chile, was identified (12 March) 9 days after the first case in the country. We assessed the magnitude of the outbreak and the role students and staff played using self-administered antibody detection tests and a self-administered survey.METHODS:
The school was closed on 13 March, and the entire community was placed under quarantine. We implemented a home-delivery, self-administered, immunoglobin (Ig) G/IgM antibody test and survey to a classroom-stratified sample of students and all staff from 4-19 May. We aimed to determine the overall seroprevalence rates by age group, reported symptoms, and contact exposure, and to explore the dynamics of transmission.RESULTS:
The antibody positivity rates were 9.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.2-11.8) for 1009 students and 16.6% (95% CI, 12.1-21.9) for 235 staff. Among students, positivity was associated with a younger age (Pâ =â .01), a lower grade level (Pâ =â .05), prior real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) positivity (Pâ =â .03), and a history of contact with a confirmed case (Pâ <â .001). Among staff, positivity was higher in teachers (Pâ =â .01) and in those previously RT-PCR positive (Pâ <â .001). Excluding RT-PCR-positive individuals, antibody positivity was associated with fever in adults and children (Pâ =â .02 and Pâ =â .002, respectively), abdominal pain in children (Pâ =â .001), and chest pain in adults (Pâ =â .02). Within antibody-positive individuals, 40% of students and 18% of staff reported no symptoms (Pâ =â .01).CONCLUSIONS:
Teachers were more affected during the outbreak and younger children were at a higher risk for infection, likely because index case(s) were teachers and/or parents from the preschool. Self-administered antibody testing, supervised remotely, proved to be a suitable and rapid tool. Our study provides useful information for school reopenings.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
SARS-CoV-2
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Adult
/
Child
/
Child, preschool
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
South America
/
Chile
Language:
English
Journal:
Clin Infect Dis
Journal subject:
Communicable Diseases
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Cid
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS