No abstract

Serological tests for estimation of total antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 for healthcare workers (HCWs) help to understand the epidemiology of COVID-19 disease in the healthcare setting. Aims and objective: To note the seroprevalence of COVID-19 among HCWs in a tertiary care hospital. Settings and design: This study was done at a tertiary care hospital, Mumbai. Detection of the "Total antibody to SARS-CoV-2" virus was offered as part of the health check-up from September 24, 2020, to December 31, 2020, after taking due consent and history of the HCWs. Materials and methods: The test was anti-SARS-CoV-2 on Elecsys, Roche Diagnostics by ECLIA. Results: Five hundred and seventy (25.8%) HCWs out of a total of 2,211 working in the hospital were tested for total antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Two hundred and forty-eight (43.5%) HCWs were positive for the total antibody test to SARS-CoV-2 virus. 86.8% of the HCWs who were diagnosed to have COVID-19 in past were seropositive. 65.2% of HCWs even when were PCR negative but had been in contact with an infected person but were PCR negative developed antibodies. Twenty-eight percent of HCWs did not have any symptoms of COVID-19 infection or were not in close contact of positive contact were seropositive. Of these 248 antibody-positive HCWs, 105 (42.3%) had tested positive for RT-PCR in the past, 30 (12.1%) were symptomatic/close contacts of COVID-19 patients but had tested negative for RT-PCR in the past and 113 (45.6%) were not symptomatic, had no high-risk contact and were never tested. Conclusion:There is a marked increase in seroprevalence rates in asymptomatic HCWs from 4.3% in June 2020 to 28% between September and December 2020 at our center. Clinical significance: An increase in COVID-19 seroprevalence among HCWs indicates continued subclinical exposure during and after the first wave during a global pandemic and this should be used to predict the next surge of infections.