Seroprevalence of COVID-19 IgG antibodies among healthcare workers of Pakistan: a cross-sectional study assessing exposure to COVID-19 and identification of high-risk subgroups

Batool, Hijab; Chughtai, Omar Rasheed; Khan, Muhammad Sohaib; Chughtai, Akhtar Sohail; Ashraf, Shakeel; Khan, Muhammad Jamil

doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-046276

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…The time required for clerking, and close examination of patients to elicit clinical signs put doctors at greater risk than any other healthcare workers. This agrees with a report from Pakistan [11].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Serological Survey of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus -2 (Sars-Cov-2) among Frontline Health Workers in Northwest Nigeria

Haladu,

Oloyede,

Sanda

et al. 2023

AJRID

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Background: Serological testing of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG/IgM antibodies is an important complement to Real Time-PCR (RT-PCR) for surveillance and outbreak investigations. The study therefore aimed to assess the serological survey of SARS-COV-2 among frontline health workers using specific IgG/IgM antibodies. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional design. A self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain biodata. Rapid diagnostic test kits were used for the study in which samples reacted with COVID-19 antigen-coated particles in the test cassette and the complex formed produced readable bands indicating the presence of SARS-COV19 in the tested subject. Data obtained were analyzed using Stata v15. Results: The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among the study sample was 39.0% and 14.9% for IgG and IgM respectively. Prevalence was highest in the outpatient department (IgG; 70.0%, IgM; 17.1%). IgG positivity was observed more among doctors while positivity for IgG was seen in 78.6% of persons with previous diagnoses. IgM was significantly associated with contact with patients having shortness of breath, p-value < 0.05. Conclusion: This study demonstrated a high level of SARS-COV19 IgG indicating past infection and IgM suggesting recent exposure or ongoing infection among this group of workers compared to others within the hospital settings. The role of serological testing cannot be over-emphasized in the periodic screening and prompt treatment of health workers before they manifest symptoms or become capable of spreading the disease to innocent patients and or co-health workers.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Serological Survey of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus -2 (Sars-Cov-2) among Frontline Health Workers in Northwest Nigeria

Haladu,

Oloyede,

Sanda

et al. 2023

AJRID

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“…Whereas 45% of the study participants with COVID 19 were reactive for SARS-CoV-2 IgM antibody which indicates current infection to SARS-CoV-2. A study in Pakistan by Batool et al, (2021), reported a similar finding of seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody (33%) among healthcare workers [14].…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 63%

COVID-19 in patients presenting with malaria-like symptoms at a primary healthcare facility in Accra, Ghana

Asamoah,

Adusei-Poku,

Vandyck-Sey

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Background Malaria is a common and severe public health problem in Ghana and largely responsible for febrile symptoms presented at health facilities in the country. Other infectious diseases, including COVID-19, may mimic malaria due to their shared non-specific symptoms such as fever and headache thus leading to misdiagnosis. This study therefore investigated COVID-19 among patients presenting with malaria-like symptoms at Korle-Bu Polyclinic, Accra, Ghana. Methods This study enrolled 300 patients presenting with malaria-like symptoms aged ≥18yrs. After consent was obtained from study patients, two to three millilitres of whole blood, nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab samples, were collected for screening of Plasmodium falciparum using malaria rapid diagnostic test, microscopy and nested PCR, and SARS-CoV-2 using SARS-CoV-2 antigen test and Real-time PCR, respectively. The plasma and whole blood were also used for COVID-19 antibody testing and full blood counts using hematological analyser. SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequencing was performed using MinIon sequencing. Results The prevalence of malaria by microscopy, RDT and nested PCR were 2.3%, 2.3% and 2.7% respectively. The detection of SARS-CoV-2 by COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test and Real-time PCR were 8.7% and 20% respectively. The Delta variant was reported in 23 of 25 SARS-CoV-2 positives with CT values below 30. Headache was the most common symptom presented by study participants (95%). Comorbidities reported were hypertension, asthma and diabetes. One hundred and thirteen (37.8%) of the study participants had prior exposure to SARS CoV-2 and (34/51) 66.7% of Astrazeneca vaccinated patients had no IgG antibody. Conclusion It may be difficult to use clinical characteristics to distinguish between patients with COVID-19 having malaria-like symptoms. Detection of IgM using RDTs may be useful in predicting CT values for SARS-CoV-2 real-time PCR and therefore transmission.

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“…The results of the current study revealed that 19.9% (n = 284/1426) of subjects were naturally infected with COVID-19, and 12% (n = 171/1426) were unsure about their status. An earlier study on 15,000 healthcare workers randomly selected from Pakistan found that 33% of the subjects tested positive for the COVID-19 IgG antibody (20). RT-PCR studies on HCW from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom showed that 11.2% and 18% of the subjects were positive for COVID-19, respectively (21,22).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

A Survey-Based Study of Public Awareness About COVID-19 Infection, Severity, Reinfection, Vaccine Acceptance, and Government Measures in Pakistan

Arif,

Mehmood,

Ejaz

et al. 2023

Health Scope

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Background: This study aims to assess public views and awareness about COVID-19 infection, severity, reinfection, vaccine acceptance, and government measures in Pakistan. Methods: A survey-based study was conducted between August 2021 and August 2022. The study used a self-administered questionnaire designed and distributed online using Google Forms, multiple social media platforms, and phone calls to collect data from the target population. We collected 1426 responses from male and female participants. The study was conducted in major cities throughout Pakistan, including Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Islamabad, Sargodha, Abbottabad, Swat, Quetta, and Mardan. Results: Most respondents (76.8%) deemed COVID-19 a serious disease, while the other participants considered it either a non-severe condition or were unsure. In this survey, 78% of respondents believed in COVID-19 immunization, 14.4% were skeptical, and 7.6% did not believe in it. Most study population (91.1%) had been immunized against COVID-19, and 92.4% expressed a willingness to be immunized if the vaccine was readily available. However, the remainder were either unsure or refused to receive vaccinations. 19.9% of study participants were naturally infected with COVID-19, 12% were uncertain about their previous infection, and 68.1% were not infected. COVID-19 reinfection was reported by 10.2% of study participants. The second infection was deemed more severe by 15.9% of participants than the first. It was found that half of the surveyed population used natural and traditional methods to protect themselves from COVID-19 disease. Most respondents (73%) believed that the government should make vaccinations mandatory and that people should be forced to do so. During the COVID-19 outbreak, 55.4% of people were satisfied with government initiatives, while 19.4% were dissatisfied. Conclusions: The results of the present study conducted in major cities throughout Pakistan concluded that most people trusted the COVID-19 vaccine and showed high confidence and acceptance of vaccination. Additionally, most respondents were satisfied with the government's efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

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Seroprevalence of COVID-19 IgG antibodies among healthcare workers of Pakistan: a cross-sectional study assessing exposure to COVID-19 and identification of high-risk subgroups

Cited by 9 publications

References 26 publications

Serological Survey of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus -2 (Sars-Cov-2) among Frontline Health Workers in Northwest Nigeria

Serological Survey of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus -2 (Sars-Cov-2) among Frontline Health Workers in Northwest Nigeria

COVID-19 in patients presenting with malaria-like symptoms at a primary healthcare facility in Accra, Ghana

A Survey-Based Study of Public Awareness About COVID-19 Infection, Severity, Reinfection, Vaccine Acceptance, and Government Measures in Pakistan

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