Abstract
Healthcare workers (HCWs) are highly exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The actual coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation, especially in regions that are less affected, has not yet been determined. This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in HCWs working in a frontline hospital in Tokyo, Japan. In this cross-sectional observational study, screening was performed on consented HCWs, including medical, nursing, and other workers, as part of a mandatory health checkup. The screening test results and clinical characteristics of the participants were recorded. The antibody seroprevalence rate among the 4147 participants screened between July 6 and August 21, 2020, was 0.34% (14/4147). There was no significant difference in the seroprevalence rate between frontline HCWs with a high exposure risk and HCWs working in other settings with a low exposure risk. Of those seropositive for SARS-CoV-2, 64% (9/14) were not aware of any symptoms and had not previously been diagnosed with COVID-19. In conclusion, this study provides insights into the extent of infection and immune status in HCWs in Japan, which has a relatively low prevalence of COVID-19. Our findings aid in formulating public health policies to control virus spread in regions with low-intensity COVID-19.
Highlights
Healthcare workers (HCWs) are highly exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection
This study demonstrated a low seroprevalence rate of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in HCWs working at a frontline hospital in the Tokyo area after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan between March and May 2020
The lower prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies observed in HCWs reflects the lower circulation of SARSCoV-2 in Japan than in some other countries where more cases were reported
Summary
Healthcare workers (HCWs) are highly exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in HCWs working in a frontline hospital in Tokyo, Japan. In this cross-sectional observational study, screening was performed on consented HCWs, including medical, nursing, and other workers, as part of a mandatory health checkup. There was no significant difference in the seroprevalence rate between frontline HCWs with a high exposure risk and HCWs working in other settings with a low exposure risk Of those seropositive for SARS-CoV-2, 64% (9/14) were not aware of any symptoms and had not previously been diagnosed with COVID-19. HCWs working in regions severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic have a high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection detected by polymerase chain reaction[5]. We aimed to determine the SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in HCWs working at a frontline hospital in the Tokyo area, in order to determine the prevalence of past infection, both symptomatic and asymptomatic, using a validated chemiluminescent assay[6]
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