SARS-CoV-2 PCR positivity rate and seroprevalence of related antibodies among a sample of patients in Cairo: Pre-wave 2 results of a screening program in a university hospital

Abstract

Background Research has revealed that asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic infections are important contributors to the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in populations. In Egypt, the true prevalence of infections is veiled due to the low number of screening tests. The aim of this study was to determine the SARS-CoV-2 PCR positivity rate as well the seroprevalence of the SARS-CoV-2 antibodies before the ultimate development of a second wave of the epidemic in Cairo, Egypt. Methods Our study was carried out between May 5 and the end of October 2020. It included all patients requiring admission to Ain Shams University hospitals. An interview questionnaire was used to collect demographic and clinical data. Laboratory tests for all participants included RT-PCR and total antibody assay for SARS-CoV-2. Results A total of 4,313 subjects were enrolled in our study, with females representing 56% of the sample. Adults and middle-aged individuals represented around 60% of the study sample. The positivity rate of SARS-CoV-2 PCR was 3.84% (95% CI 3.29–4.48), and the SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence was 29.82% (95% CI: 28.16–31.51). Males showed a higher risk for getting the COVID-19 infection, while middle-age group had significantly higher antibody seroprevalence rates. Conclusion SARS-CoV-2 infection imposes a high burden on the community as detected by high seroprevalence rates.

A pre-vaccine exploratory survey of SARS-CoV-2 humoral immunity among Egyptian general population

“…Only 20–30% of COVID-19 patients are symptomatic, and only a smaller proportion of them undergo PCR testing. Due to the high expense of PCR testing, especially in low- and middle-income countries, the actual magnitude of COVID-19 prevalence in the community is largely indeterminate due to the limited numbers of tested samples [ 12 ]. COVID-19 surveillance in Egypt mainly depends on PCR tests, which are usually carried out in symptomatic cases presented at governmental hospitals [ 13 , 14 ].…”

High SARS CoV2 antibody-prevalence among health care workers with variable exposure to COVID-19 patients: A cross-sectional university hospital study.

“…The differences in the seroprevalence of COVID-19 could also be contributed to the test used whether nasal swab PCR or serology, the difference in sensitivity of the serology test, and the use of different study designs [16,17].…”

Impact of COVID-19 on environmental services workers in healthcare settings: a scoping review

“…There were six studies from the United States [10,12,19,24,25,31], six studies from India [16,18,20,27,29,32], two studies from the United Kingdom [17,26], two from Egypt [21,30], one each from Brazil [22], Chile [28], Ethiopia [33], Iran [15], Mexico [14], Qatar [11], Saudi Arabia [13] and Turkey [23].…”

“…The seroprevalence studies, with the exception of a single study from Iran [15], consistently reported that environmental services workers (housekeeping, cleaners and janitorial staff) were at a significantly elevated risk of having contracted COVID-19 compared to other healthcare workers in the same institution [10][11][12][13][14][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]. The quality of these cross-sectional studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist for analytical cross-sectional study [34] by consensus among three study investigators (Q.X.N., C.Y.L.Y.…”