Sero‐prevalence of SARS‐CoV‐2 in certain cities of Kazakhstan

Abstract

Background and Aims Seroprevalence studies are needed to determine the cumulative prevalence of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and to develop pandemic mitigation strategies. Despite the constant monitoring and surveillance, the true level of infection in the population of Kazakhstan remains unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the sero‐prevalence of SARS‐CoV‐2 in the main cities of Kazakhstan. Methods The research was conducted as a cluster‐randomized cross‐sectional national household study in three cities of Kazakhstan. The study covered the period: from October 24, 2020, to January 11, 2021. A total of 5739 people took part in the study. All participants agreed to be tested for antibodies to IgM/IgG. Demographic characteristics were analyzed. The presence of symptoms of respiratory diseases and the results of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing were determined. The antibodies to the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus were detected using the method of enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results There was significant geographic variability with a higher prevalence of IgG/IgM antibodies to SARS‐CoV‐2 in Almaty 57.0%, in Oskemen 60.7% than in Kostanay 39.4%. There were no significant differences in prevalence between men and women ( p ≥ 0.05). In Almaty, only 19% of participants with antibodies reported the presence of respiratory symptoms during a pandemic. At the same time, the percentage of patients with antibodies who had respiratory symptoms was 36% in Oskemen and 27% in Kostanay. Conclusion The findings indicate that despite reasonable level of seroprevalence, the country has not yet reached the baseline minimum of herd immunity scores. The prevalence estimates for asymptomatic or subclinical forms of the disease ranged from 64% to 81%. Thus, given that almost half of the population of Kazakhstan remains vulnerable, the importance of preventive strategies such as social distancing, the use of medical masks, and vaccination to protect the population from the transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 is highly critical.

Prevalence of COVID-19 antibodies in employees of St. Jacob Hospital in Bardejov

“…The association between males and females and the presence of antibodies was not confirmed in our study, which is identical to the results of the study by Smagul et al (8) who monitored the presence of antibodies using ELISA method. In their study, 86.5% of probands had IgG antibodies and 13.5% of probands had no antibodies.…”

High SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Karaganda, Kazakhstan before the launch of COVID-19 vaccination

“…Our seroprevalence study for the first time documents an extremely high rate of SARS-CoV-2 exposure in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Although pilot in nature, these findings are consistent with high SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in other regions of Kazakhstan [ 19 , 20 , 33 ], corroborating an overall underascertainment of COVID-19 rates across the country. While narrowing the gaps in country-wide infection surveillance necessitates addressing systemic issues related to governance and healthcare delivery and improving vital registration systems, we hope that our findings can inform the regional pandemic response to facilitate a more effective and equitable distribution of resources, such as vaccines.…”

“…Consistently, a recent analysis of serology data from a private laboratory network in Kazakhstan obtained for a period of 12 months (July 2020- July 2021) indicated a test positivity rate of 63% for SARS-CoV-2 IgG [ 19 ]. At the same time, a recently published household survey conducted across three cities in Kazakhstan between October 2020 and January 2021 found SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM-based seroprevalence rates to range from 39–61% [ 20 ].…”

SARS-CoV-2 seroepidemiology in Mongolia, 2020–2021: a longitudinal national study

“… 17 Meanwhile, nearby countries including Kazakhstan had much higher seroprevalence of 56.7% in urban locations at a similar time in 2021, potentially due to having less stringent public health measures before vaccines became available. 18 A supporting global estimate shows the COVID-19 cumulative infection ratio and IFRs were lower in Mongolia compared to the region of central Asia and eastern Europe, when pandemic preparedness and risk communication were reflected by health promotion, as a mean of disease containment. 19 …”