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Background The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been spreading rapidly across the world. A nucleic acid real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR) test of nasopharyngeal samples is the standard method for the diagnosis of an active SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, many limitations of the RQ-PCR tests make them unsuitable for the simple and rapid diagnosis of COVID-19 patients. Moreover, some individuals with COVID-19 present an asymptomatic infection. Thus, assessing the asymptomatic transmission of COVID-19, especially in healthcare workers (HCWs), is crucial for evaluating the efficiency of the current preventive measures. Serological tests such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) are needed to quickly identify a large number of asymptomatic carriers to prevent the further spread of the virus and assess level of possible serological immunity in a community. Method Between April 18 and June 17, 2020, 330 HCWs from five Madinah region-affiliated hospitals underwent a seroprevalence screening for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (immunoglobulin [Ig]M/IgA and IgG) using indirect ELISA testing.

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