Hospital-wide SARS-CoV-2 antibody screening of staff in a university psychiatric centre in Belgium

In this first serosurvey among psychiatric healthcare providers, only 3.2% of a sample of 431 staff members of a Belgian University Psychiatric Centre, screened 3–17 June 2020, had SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G antibodies, which is considerably lower compared with both the general population and other...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BJPsych open 2021-01, Vol.7 (1), p.e40-e40, Article e40
Main Authors: El Abdellati, Kawtar, Coppens, Violette, Goossens, Jobbe, Theeten, Heidi, Van Damme, Pierre, Berens, Ann, Morrens, Manuel, De Picker, Livia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antibodies
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Disease transmission
infection prevention
Infections
Masks
Medical supplies
Mental Health Services
Pandemics
Patients
Personal protective equipment
Polymerase chain reaction
Psychiatric nursing
Psychologists
serology testing
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Short Report
Sick leave
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Summary:In this first serosurvey among psychiatric healthcare providers, only 3.2% of a sample of 431 staff members of a Belgian University Psychiatric Centre, screened 3–17 June 2020, had SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G antibodies, which is considerably lower compared with both the general population and other healthcare workers in Belgium. The low seroprevalence was unexpected, given the limited availability of personal protective equipment and the high amount of COVID-19 symptoms reported by staff members. Importantly, exposure at home predicted the presence of antibodies, but exposure at work did not. Measures to prevent transmission from staff to patients are warranted in psychiatric facilities.
ISSN:2056-4724
2056-4724
DOI:10.1192/bjo.2020.172