Seroprevalence of Anti-SARS-CoV- 2 Antibodies among Health Care Workers: Kasr Al Ainy Screening Study

Background: Egypt is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in all aspects of life: Health, economy and socially. Serological survey for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies is a valuable method to assess the extent of spread of the pandemic especially in healthcare workers (HCW), and to detect asymptomatic cases. Aim of Study: This research aims at proving the usefulness of SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection to identify and isolate infected individuals among HCW. Results may be employed as a surrogate to economize the use of RT-PCR evaluation and to make executive decision limiting viral spread among medical personnel in Kasr Al Ainy hospitals. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional survey study has included 897 HCW from multiple frontline and susceptible services within Kasr Al Ainy, Cairo University Hospitals. HCW were subjected to wide screening to study the presence of SARS-CoV-2 specific antibody responses (IgG and IgM) by Electro-chemiluminescence immunoassay tests and Lateral Flow Immunochromatographic assay (Rapid detection test) kits. Results: Our screening program has revealed 105 positive cases which accounts for 11.7% of the screened group. Of those, 33 (31.4%) were symptomatic and 72 (68.6%) were asymptomatic. Conclusion: The use of COVID-19 antibody testing for HCW can provide crucial information that might prevent further propagation of infection among HCW and their patients. Further research is warranted to provide evidence related to wide implementation of screening programs for HCW and to provide clear guidelines related to specifics of such programs.