Absence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in health care workers of a tertiary referral hospital for COVID-19 in southern Vietnam

Châu, Nguyễn Văn Vĩnh; Toan, Le Mau; Man, Dinh Nguyen Huy; Thao, Huynh Phuong; Lan, Nguyen Phu Huong; Ty, Dinh Thi Bich; Hieu, Dinh Khac; Tien, Nguyen Thi My; Ngoc, Nghiêm My; Hung, Le Manh; Dung, Nguyen Thanh; Thanh, Tran Tan; Truong, Nguyen Thanh; Thwaites, Guy; Tan, Le Van

doi:10.1016/j.jinf.2020.11.018

Cited by 12 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Moreover, intra-regional variations of seroprevalence were observed in healthcare workers, for example, seroprevalence among hospital staff in China range from 1.8% [ 5 ] to 17.1% [ 12 ] whereas seroprevalence of healthcare workers in Asia besides China and Southeast Asia ranged from 0.4% [ 13 ] to 9.1% [ 14 ]. In Southeast Asia, there were only two studies on the seroprevalence of COVID-19 in healthcare workers: one from Thailand reported a 3.7% seroprevalence [ 15 ], and one from Vietnam reported a zero seroprevalence [ 16 ]. Seroprevalences in healthcare personnel varied from 1.3% [ 17 ] to 45.3% [ 11 ] in Europe, from 0.8% [ 18 ] to 44.0% [ 19 ] in North America, from 0.9% [ 20 ] to 14.1% [ 21 ] in South America, and from zero [ 10 ] to 45.1% [ 22 ] in Africa whereas no seroprevalence studies were from Antarctica or Australia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seroprevalence of hospital staff in a province with zero COVID-19 cases

et al. 2021

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Background COVID-19 seroprevalence data, particularly in less developed countries with a relatively low incidence, has been scant. We aimed to explore the seroprevalence of hospital staff in the area with zero confirmed COVID-19 case to shed light on the situation of COVID-19 infection in zero or low infection rate countries where mass screening was not readily available. Methods A locally developed rapid immunoglobulin M (IgM)/immunoglobulin G (IgG) test kit was used for hospital staff screening of Ranong hospital which is located in a province with zero COVID-19 prevalence in Thailand from 17th April to 17th May 2020. All staff was tested, 100 of which were randomly invited to have a repeating antibody test in one month. (Thai Clinical Trials Registry: TCTR20200426002) Results Of 844 hospital staff, 82 were tested twice one month apart (response rate for repeating antibody test 82%). Overall, 0.8% of the participants (7 of 844) had positive IgM, none had positive IgG. Female staff had 1.0% positive IgM (95% CI: 0.5–2.1%) while male had 0.5% positive IgM (95% CI: 0.1–2.6%). No participants with a history of travel to the high-risk area or close contact with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 case developed SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Among 844 staff, 811 had no symptoms and six of them developed IgM seropositive (0.7%) while 33 had minor symptoms and only one of them developed IgM seropositive (3.0%). No association between SARS-CoV-2 IgM status and gender, history of travel to a high-risk area, close contact with PCR-confirmed or suspected COVID-19 case, presence of symptoms within 14 days, or previous PCR status was found. None of the hospital staff developed SARS-CoV-2 IgG. Conclusions COVID-19 antibody test could detect a considerable number of hospital staff who could be potential silent spreaders in a province with zero COVID-19 cases. Accurate antibody testing is a valuable screening tool, particularly in asymptomatic healthcare workers. Trial registration: This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Chulalongkorn University (IRB No.236/63) and the Institutional Review Board of Ranong Hospital. (Thai Clinical Trials Registry: TCTR20200426002).

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seroprevalence of hospital staff in a province with zero COVID-19 cases

et al. 2021

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“…The percentage of inhibition measured by sVNT has been shown to well correlate with the 2 neutralizing antibody tiers measured by the conventional plaque reduction neutralization 2 assay [1].…”

Section: Legends To Figuresmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…Because HTD members of staff were naïve to SARS-CoV-2 infection [1], we first focused our neutralizing antibody measurement on the baseline samples collected before the first dose of the subgroup. At baseline, none of the study participants had detectable neutralizing antibodies (Supplementary Table 2).…”

Section: Development Of Detectable Neutralizing Antibodiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Immunogenicity of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Vietnamese healthcare workers

Châu¹,

Nguyet

Truong³

et al. 2021

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“…Vietnam, another Southeast Asian country with a long, porous Chinese border, took rigorous measures to control the spread right after China rst acknowledged COVID 19 [31]. As a result, they had fewer COVID 19 morbidity and mortalities, among which very few FLWs were tested positive [32,33]. Strong government leadership with effective multi-sectoral collaboration, a robust response system, and WHO's support for strengthening health emergency response after previous epidemics are lessons from Vietnam [34].…”

Section: The Mental Health Of the Flwsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perception and Experiences of the Front Line Health Workers (FLWs) Attending Suspected or Confirmed Covid-19 Patients in Bangladesh: a Cross-sectional Study

Islam

Tune

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Background: Front-line health workers (FLWs) are always at a very high risk of being infected by COVID 19 due to their close contact with patients; thus, proper protection is critical. Concerning the FLWs' safety, Bangladesh's haphazard health system preparedness response on the eve of the pandemic triggered an uncoordinated management crisis, making the FLWs even more vulnerable. This study aims to elicit FLWs' perceptions and experiences regarding personal safety against COVID-19 while attending suspected/confirmed cases in the pandemic's early days. Methods: A mixed-methods quick telephone survey of a cross-sectional design was conducted during April and May 2020. 60 FLWs of various categories and levels from 14 districts and 43 institutions participated in the study in two rounds (initial and follow up) by four weeks apart. The participants were chosen using a combination of purposive sampling and the snowball sampling method and responded to a semi-structured questionnaire. Descriptive analysis was done for quantitative data, and qualitative data were thematically analysed.Results: The FLWs were obvious about the necessity of using Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) for suspected/confirmed COVID-19 cases with suspected/asymptomatic patients. All types and levels of FLWs did not get the needed formal training on COVID-19 management and prevention. During the initial round, only 75% and 57% FLWs received PPEs and training for their proper use, respectively. Concerns about spreading the infection to family members precipitated mental health problems for the FLWs, so they recommended some safety measures, e.g. separate accommodation, transport, modified duty roaster during COVID placement. After almost a month, the follow-up round showed that a total of 76% FLWs received PPEs, but only 20% received training about them during the last month. The recommended measures were found to be more beneficial for physicians than the other FLWs. Conclusion: COVID 19 highlighted the shortcomings of Bangladesh's health systems and the low priority given to public health. This hampered the COVID 19 response, which was late, fragmented, and poorly coordinated, putting the FLWs at risk even more. Nonetheless, a coordinated, integrated approach involving all relevant authorities is required, and the health ministry should direct an efficient and inclusive COVID response.

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Absence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in health care workers of a tertiary referral hospital for COVID-19 in southern Vietnam

Cited by 12 publications

References 7 publications

Seroprevalence of hospital staff in a province with zero COVID-19 cases

Seroprevalence of hospital staff in a province with zero COVID-19 cases

Immunogenicity of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Vietnamese healthcare workers

Perception and Experiences of the Front Line Health Workers (FLWs) Attending Suspected or Confirmed Covid-19 Patients in Bangladesh: a Cross-sectional Study

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