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Abstract
Close contacts of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients are at high risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We assessed the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2–specific antibodies among quarantined close contacts of COVID-19 patients in the Faroe Islands. We invited quarantined close contacts of COVID-19 index patients identified during March 3–April 22, 2020, to participate in this study; 584 (81%) contacts consented and underwent serologic testing. Among the 584 participants, 32 (5.5%) were seropositive for total antibody against SARS-CoV-2. Household and young or elderly contacts had higher risk for seropositivity than other contacts. We found a secondary attack rate of 19.2%. Seroprevalence among close contacts was almost 10-fold higher than among the general population of the Faroe Islands. Regularly testing household close contacts of COVID-19 patients might help track the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
Highlights
Close contacts of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients are at high risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection
The rapid spread of COVID-19 is partly attributable to transmission by asymptomatic or presymptomatic persons; many of these cases remain undetected because patients might not seek healthcare or undergo testing [19]
A study of 1,075 randomly selected persons from the Faroe Islands in April 2020 found a 0.6% seropositivity rate, which corresponds to 313 COVID-19 patients [2], somewhat higher than the observed 0.4% crude prevalence of confirmed cases in the Faroe Islands [https://corona.fo])
Summary
Close contacts of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients are at high risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We assessed the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2–specific antibodies among quarantined close contacts of COVID-19 patients in the Faroe Islands. Since the identification of the first imported case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Faroe Islands on March 3, 2020, the territory has complied with World Health Organization recommendations to use an active suppression strategy focusing on testing and isolating patients and their close contacts. The seroprevalence study showed that, perhaps because of low levels of community transmission, few cases remained undetected [2] As a result, this context provides a unique opportunity to investigate the transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 using serologic tests. We assessed seroprevalence among close contacts of persons with COVID-19 in the Faroe Islands during the first wave of the pandemic in March and April 2020
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