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SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody detection in healthcare workers in Germany with direct contact to COVID-19 patients.
- Source :
-
Journal of Clinical Virology . Jul2020, Vol. 128, pN.PAG-N.PAG. 1p. - Publication Year :
- 2020
-
Abstract
- • The average SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in healthcare workers of a a tertiary hospital, University Hospital Essen, Germany was 1.6 % in the period between March to April 2020. • The local hygiene standards seem to be effective to prevent patient-to-staff virus transmission at the designated COVID-19 units wards. • Awareness for COVID-19 infections is crucial even in non−COVID-19 wards. The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is associated with a severe respiratory manifestation, COVID-19, and presents a challenge for healthcare systems worldwide. Healthcare workers are a vulnerable cohort for SARS-CoV-2 infection due to frequent and close contact to patients with COVID-19. Serum samples from 316 healthcare workers of the University Hospital Essen, Germany were tested for SARS-CoV-2-IgG antibodies. A questionnaire was used to collect demographic and clinical data. Healthcare workers were grouped depending on the frequency of contact to COVID-19 patients in high-risk-group (n = 244) with daily contact to known or suspected SARS-CoV-2 positive patients, intermediated-risk-group (n = 37) with daily contact to patients without known or suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection at admission and low-risk-group (n = 35) without patient contact. In 5 of 316 (1.6 %) healthcare workers SARS-CoV-2-IgG antibodies could be detected. The seroprevalence was higher in the intermediate-risk-group vs. high-risk-group (2/37 (5.4 %) vs. 3/244 (1.2 %), p = 0.13). Four of the five subject were tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 via PCR. One (20 %) subject was not tested via PCR since he was asymptomatic. The overall seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare workers of a tertiary hospital in Germany is low (1.6 %). The data indicate that the local hygiene standard might be effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 13866532
- Volume :
- 128
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Clinical Virology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 143723296
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcv.2020.104437