Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in First Responders and Public Safety Personnel, New York City, New York, USA, May-July 2020

We conducted a serologic survey in public service agencies in New York City, New York, USA, during May-July 2020 to determine prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among first responders. Of 22,647 participants, 22.5% tested positive for SARS-CoV-2-spec...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Emerging infectious diseases 2021-03, Vol.27 (3), p.796-804
Main Authors: Sami, Samira, Akinbami, Lara J, Petersen, Lyle R, Crawley, Addie, Lukacs, Susan L, Weiss, Don, Henseler, Rebecca A, Vuong, Nga, Mackey, Lisa, Patel, Anita, Grohskopf, Lisa A, Morgenthau, Beth Maldin, Daskalakis, Demetre, Pathela, Preeti
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Antibodies, Viral - blood
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
COVID-19 - epidemiology
COVID-19 Serological Testing
emergency responders
Emergency Responders - statistics & numerical data
Ethnic Groups - statistics & numerical data
Female
Fires
First responders
Health aspects
Households
Humans
Male
Medical personnel
Middle Aged
New York
New York City
New York City - epidemiology
Obesity - epidemiology
Personal Protective Equipment
Police
Prevalence
Protective equipment
Seroepidemiologic Studies
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Technicians
United States
Young Adult
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Summary:We conducted a serologic survey in public service agencies in New York City, New York, USA, during May-July 2020 to determine prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among first responders. Of 22,647 participants, 22.5% tested positive for SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies. Seroprevalence for police and firefighters was similar to overall seroprevalence; seroprevalence was highest in correctional staff (39.2%) and emergency medical technicians (38.3%) and lowest in laboratory technicians (10.1%) and medicolegal death investigators (10.8%). Adjusted analyses demonstrated association between seropositivity and exposure to SARS-CoV-2-positive household members (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.52 [95% CI 3.19-3.87]), non-Hispanic Black race or ethnicity (aOR 1.50 [95% CI 1.33-1.68]), and severe obesity (aOR 1.31 [95% CI 1.05-1.65]). Consistent glove use (aOR 1.19 [95% CI 1.06-1.33]) increased likelihood of seropositivity; use of other personal protective equipment had no association. Infection control measures, including vaccination, should be prioritized for frontline workers.
ISSN:1080-6040
1080-6059
DOI:10.3201/eid2703.204340