ABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo examine the prevalence of psychological distress and its association with social isolation among University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) students. MethodsA cross-sectional survey was emailed to all students in June 2020. Students reported self-isolating none, some, most, or all of the time and were screened for clinically significant symptoms of depression (CSSD). Data were weighted to the UNC-CH population. Results7,012 students completed surveys-64% reported self-isolating most or all of the time and 64% reported CSSD. Compared to those self-isolating none of the time, students self-isolating some of the time were 1.78 (95% CI 1.37-2.30) times as likely to report CSSD, and students self-isolating most and all of the time were 2.12 (95% CI 1.64-2.74) and 2.27 (95% CI 1.75-2.94) times as likely to report CSSD, respectively. ConclusionsUniversities should prioritize student mental health and prepare support services to mitigate mental health consequences of the pandemic.
ABSTRACT
BackgroundEarly in the pandemic, transmission risk from asymptomatic infection was unclear making it imperative to monitor infection in workplace settings. Further, data on SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence within university populations has been limited. MethodsWe performed a longitudinal study of University research employees on campus July-December 2020. We conducted questionnaires on COVID-19 risk factors, RT-PCR testing, and SARS-CoV-2 serology using an in-house spike RBD assay, laboratory-based Spike NTD assay, and standard nucleocapsid platform assay. We estimated prevalence and cumulative incidence of seroconversion with 95% confidence intervals using the inverse of the Kaplan-Meier estimator. Results910 individuals were included in this analysis. At baseline, 6.2% (95% CI 4.29-8.19) were seropositive using the spike RBD assay; four (0.4%) were seropositive using the nucleocapsid assay, and 44 (4.8%) using the Spike NTD assay. Cumulative incidence was 3.61% (95% CI: 2.04-5.16). Six asymptomatic individuals had positive RT-PCR results. ConclusionsPrevalence and incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections was low; however differences in target antigens of serological tests provided different estimates. Future research on appropriate methods of serological testing in unvaccinated and vaccinated populations is needed. Frequent RT-PCR testing of asymptomatic individuals is required to detect acute infections, and repeated serosurveys are beneficial for monitoring subclinical infection.
ABSTRACT
The effect of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity on the immune response to mRNA-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines has not been well-described. Here we report longitudinal SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody responses pre- and post-vaccination among a cohort of healthcare personnel, with and without prior infection, from a large academic medical center. Our results provide preliminary evidence that prior SARS-CoV-2 infection may prime the response to the first mRNA-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine dose. These findings could have significant impact on the allocation of mRNA-based vaccines and support the need for future research into the effect of prior infection on magnitude and durability of vaccination response.