Evaluating the Diagnostic Performance of Covid-19 Serological Assays with Sars-Cov-2 in a Healthcare Setting in Federal Capital Territory Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Covid-19 is one of the most lethal infections, causing a global pandemic. An alternative serological test was developed in response to the increased demand for Covid 19 diagnosis. This study compared the diagnostic performance of Saytul and Global Access to the gold standard (Sars-COV-2) in Abuja, Nigeria. The diagnostic performance of Covid-19 serological assays was determined in a cross-sectional study (Saytul and Global access). All three tertiary health facilities in the FCT, as well as the Zankli Research Center, were purposefully chosen as Covid-19 referral laboratories, and all of the institutions selected provide medical student training. Quota sampling was used in the study. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 23.0, with statistical significance set at p<0.005. Eight hundred and six respondents participated in the study. Most of the respondents (71%) were age 16-30 years. The positivity rate is higher SarCov2 compared to Saytul and Global Access. Saytul shows a sensitivity of 47.2% and specificity of 98.0% while Global access shows a sensitivity of 43.8% and specificity of 98.0%. There was a statistically significant difference in the results between SarCOV2 PCR and Saytul (p=0.001) and Global Access (p=0.001). We discovered that the serological tests have low sensitivity but high specificity. Low sensitivity has implications for missing cases, which could lead to further infection spread. With improved technology and understanding of the virus, highly accurate and effective tests to help prevent coronavirus infection can be made available. Keywords: Serological test, Covid 19, Sensitivity, Specificity.