SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among healthcare workers from a tertiary care center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

• Published in: Saudi Medical Journal 2021, Vol.42 (11), p.1243
• Main Authors: Albaadani, Abeer M, Alsufyani, Eid A, Mursi, Mohamed I, Haris, Mohamed H, Kalam, Kiran K, Alsherbeeni, Nisreen M, Rumaihi, Ahmed M. Al, Alateah, Souad M, Ahmed, Medina A, Alqurashi, Moayad M
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Subjects: Carrier state (Communicable diseases); Health aspects; Medical personnel; Statistics
• ISSN: 0379-5284
• DOI: 10.15537/smj.2021.42.11.20210391

Objectives: To calculate the seroprevalence of asymptomatic healthcare workers (HCWs) in our institution. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among asymptomatic HCWs in a large hospital during the peak of the pandemic (from July to August 2020 and followed them up until February 2021) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We collected the data in a Microsoft Word document after collecting a single serum sample for detection of antibodies from each participant then we compared the results statically in Microsoft Excel tables. Results: We enrolled 188 participants and measured their IgG antibodies from venous blood samples using CLIA. Six (3.2%) had positive antibodies despite being asymptomatic. Most of these were from non-COVID-19 working areas (4 out of 6), but all had an exposure with a positive COVID-19 patient at some point in the preceding 2 months. Conclusions: Our results are consistent with similar local studies showing low seroprevalence among HCWs while most positive cases are from non-COVID-19 areas. Despite this low seroprevalence, HCWs are still considered a high-risk group; hence, there is a need to encourage strict implementation and adherence to infection control measures and vaccination among HCWs, especially when these measures are relaxed on the national level. Keywords: COVID-19, seroprevalence, IgG antibodies, healthcare workers, Saudi Arabia