Abstract
ObjectiveIn this study, we aimed at comparing the seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in healthcare workers (HCWs) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) receiving and non-COVID-19 receiving hospitals in Peshawar, Pakistan.MethodsThis cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in a COVID-19 receiving hospital (hospital ‘A’) and a non-COVID-19 receiving hospital (hospital ‘B’). Using stratified random sampling, 1,011 HCWs (439 from hospital ‘A’ and 572 from hospital ‘B’) were recruited to participate in the study. Immunoglobulin G/immunoglobulin M (IgG/IgM) antibodies were checked using Elecsys® (Roche, Basel, Switzerland) Anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoassay. The chi-squared test was used to compare frequencies, and the binary logistic regression model was used to predict the association between study variables' seropositivity to SARS-CoV-2. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsThe overall seroprevalence to SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the two hospitals was 30.76%. It was 28.2% in hospital ‘A’ and 32.7% in hospital ‘B’ (p=0.129). The seroprevalence in HCWs having direct contact with COVID-19 patients was higher (33.1%) in non-COVID-19 receiving hospital versus 23.8% in COVID-19 receiving hospital (p=0.034). Seroprevalence was highest among administrative staff (44.0%), followed by nurses (30.8%), residents (19.8%), and consultants (17.8%) (p=0.001). As compared to consultants, the administrative and nursing staff were 3.398 and 3.116 times more likely to have positive antibodies, respectively. There were no significant differences in the seroprevalence between the respective categories of staff of the two hospitals.ConclusionsThe non-COVID-19 receiving hospital had a higher proportion of seropositive HCWs than the COVID-19 receiving hospital. The HCWs in the non-COVID-19 receiving hospital who had direct contact with patients had significantly higher seroprevalence. Seroprevalence was highest for administrative staff followed by nursing staff, residents, and consultants. Regardless of the COVID-19 status of the healthcare facility, all HCWs shall be trained on, and consistently follow, the proper protocols for donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Highlights
Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) originated in the city of Wuhan, China [1], and was declared as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020 [2]
Seroprevalence was highest among administrative staff (44.0%), followed by nurses (30.8%), residents (19.8%), and consultants (17.8%) (p=0.001)
There were no significant differences in the seroprevalence between the respective categories of staff of the two hospitals
Summary
Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) originated in the city of Wuhan, China [1], and was declared as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020 [2]. COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy but has resulted in substantial morbidity and mortality among humans. As of September 6, 2020, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, has infected 26,763,217 people and has resulted in the death of 876,616 people worldwide [4]. Pakistan reported its first COVID-19 case on February 26, 2020, and as of September 6, 2020, there have been 274,287 reported cases of COVID-19 in the country; and the death tally in Pakistan currently stands at 6,342 [5]. The seroprevalence from a community survey in Pakistan was found to be 0.2% (95% CI: 0-0.7) in low-transmission areas and 0.4% (95% CI: 0-1.3) in hightransmission areas in the early phase, and 8.7% (95% CI: 5.1-13.1) in low-transmission areas and 15.1%
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