Serological response in healthcare workers at an exclusive COVID-19 facility in Delhi

ABSTRACT

Background:Healthcare workers (HCWs) have high risk of contracting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) due to the increased likelihood of clinical exposure during patient management. The study objective was to determine the seroprevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 and its predictors among hospital employees. Methods:The cross-sectional study was conducted in a teaching hospital from August 2020 to September 2020, among 1401 employees, including 1217 healthcare workers in New Delhi, India. The serum samples were examined for IgG an- tibodies to SARS-CoV-2 using the COVID KavachTM-Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG Antibody Detection ELISA kit. Data were col- lected electronically using the EpiCollect mobile platform. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:A total of 169 (12.1%) participants had detectable IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. The highest seropositivity rate was observed in the administrative staff (20.1%), while it was lowest among medical doctors (5.5%) (p<0.001). Conclusions:The probability of HCW-to-HCW, or patient-to-HCW transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was found to be lower than the risk of acquisition of infection from general population