Abstract
Our aim was to assess the seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection after the lockdown in a sample of the Corsican population. Between 16 April and 15 June 2020, 2312 residual sera were collected from patients with a blood analysis conducted in one of the participating laboratories. Residual sera obtained from persons of all ages were tested for the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 Immunoglobulin G (IgG) using the EUROIMMUN enzyme immunoassay kit for semiquantitative detection of IgG antibodies against the S1 domain of viral spike protein (ELISA-S). Borderline and positive samples in ELISA-S were also tested with an in-house virus neutralization test (VNT). Prevalence values were adjusted for sex and age. A total of 1973 residual sera samples were included in the study. The overall seroprevalence based on ELISA-S was 5.27% (95% confidence interval (CI), 4.33–6.35) and 5.46% (4.51–6.57) after adjustment. Sex was not associated with IgG detection. However, significant differences were observed between age groups (p-value = 1 E-5). The highest values were observed among 10–19, 30–39, and 40–49 year-old age groups, ranging around 8–10%. The prevalence of neutralizing antibody titers ≥40 was 3% (2.28–3.84). In conclusion, the present study showed a low seroprevalence for COVID-19 in Corsica, a finding that is in accordance with values reported for other French regions in which the impact of the pandemic was low.
Highlights
On 30 December 2019, the Municipal Health Commission in Wuhan (Hubei province, China) reported a cluster of unexplained pneumonia cases [1]
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study describing the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in a representative sample of Corsican patients with a blood analysis performed in biological laboratories after the COVID-19 epidemic period
The seroprevalence value estimated in the present study with ELISA-S (5.46% [4.51–6.57]; approximately 18,800 people) is in line with an estimation that 3.7 million people, i.e., 5.7% of the French population, will be infected during the epidemic period [10]
Summary
On 30 December 2019, the Municipal Health Commission in Wuhan (Hubei province, China) reported a cluster of unexplained pneumonia cases [1]. In January 2020, a betacoronavirus named the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was identified [2,3]. The disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 was named coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 is a highly infectious disease and, following the first cases in China, the virus spread rapidly worldwide. Reasons for the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 include the high transmissibility of the virus [4], asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic carriers [5], and the lack of any apparent cross-protective immunity from related viral infections [6]. As of 4 September 2020, the number of SARS-CoV-2 confirmed cases exceeded 26million with more than 800,000 reported deaths. The socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been significant, with lockdowns drastically reducing the mobility and productivity of much of the world’s population [8]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
