Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in health care workers at a tertiary care academic medical center – An assessment of occupational infection risk

• Published in: American journal of infection control 2021-09, Vol.49 (9), p.1158-1161
• Main Authors: Forster, Derek, Lin, Nan, Levens, Justin, Stone, Rachael, Berry, Scott, Durbin, Eric, Jennings, C. Darrell, DiPaola, Robert, Kolesar, Jill M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Major
• ISSN: 0196-6553; 1527-3296
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2021.04.005

BACKGROUNDThe purpose of this study was to assess the occupational SARS-CoV-2 infection risk among health care workers (HCW) at University of Kentucky HealthCare (UKHC) by evaluating the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. METHODSThis is a prospective cohort study of HCW at UKHC. SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody seropositivity was measured in a CLIA-certified laboratory utilizing the Abbott Architect SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody assay. Demographics and work type were self-reported by study participants via an emailed survey. RESULTSThe overall antibody positivity rate of HCW was 1.55% (5/322; 95% confidence interval: 0.65%-3.71%) at cohort entry. There were no differences in antibody positivity between those that worked directly with SARS-CoV-2 infected patients and those that did not. The antibody rate of positivity of patients during the same time period was similar, 1.8% (9/499; 95% confidence interval 0.94%-3.45%). CONCLUSIONSAntibody positivity was low and similar between HCW and patients tested during a similar time period. HCW positivity rates did not appear to be impacted by caring for known SARS-CoV-2 infected patients suggesting that appropriate use of personal protective equipment is effective in protecting individuals from transmission.