Nationwide population-based infection- and vaccine-induced SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Germany at the end of 2021

Mercuri, Elisabetta; Schmid, Lorenz; Poethko-Müller, Christina; Schlaud, Martin; Kußmaul, Cânâ; Ordonez-Cruickshank, Ana; Haller, Sebastian; Rexroth, Ute; Hamouda, Osamah; Schaade, Lars; Wieler, Lothar H.; Gößwald, Antje; Schaffrath Rosario, Angelika; ,

doi:10.1101/2023.10.30.23297594

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…To determine seropositivity for anti-N antibodies in dried blood samples, the ratio cut point for serum samples provided by the manufacturer was adapted from 1.1 to 0.95 ( 30 ). A positive SARS-CoV-2 infection status was defined as either having self-reported a previous PCR-confirmed infection or seropositivity for anti-N antibodies or, in the absence of self-reported vaccination, seropositivity for anti-S antibodies ( 29 ). Infections might have occurred between the onset of the pandemic in Germany and the date of individual study participation.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Outcome: SARS-CoV-2 infections SARS-CoV-2 infection status was assessed by using individual self-reports and serological assays for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (29). The Euroimmun enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) anti-SARS-CoV-2-QuantiVac and anti-SARS-CoV-2-NCP were used for the detection of anti-S (S1 domain of the spike protein) and anti-N (nucleocapsid protein, NCP) antibodies.…”

Section: Study Design and Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Education and pandemic SARS-CoV-2 infections in the German working population – the mediating role of working from home

Wachtler,

Beese,

Demirer

et al. 2024

Scand J Work Environ Health

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OBJECTIVES: SARS-CoV-2 infections were unequally distributed during the pandemic, with those in disadvantaged socioeconomic positions being at higher risk. Little is known about the underlying mechanism of this association. This study assessed to what extent educational differences in SARS-CoV-2 infections were mediated by working from home. METHODS: We used data of the German working population derived from the seroepidemiological study “Corona Monitoring Nationwide – Wave 2 (RKI-SOEP-2)” (N=6826). Infections were assessed by seropositivity against SARS-CoV-2 antigens and self-reports of previous PCR-confirmed infections from the beginning of the pandemic until study participation (November 2021 – February 2022). The frequency of working from home was assessed between May 2021 and January 2022.We used the Karlson-Holm-Breen (KHB) method to decompose the effect of education on SARS-CoV-2 infections. RESULTS: Individuals with lower educational attainment had a higher risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection (adjusted prevalence ratio of low versus very high = 1.76, 95% confidence interval 1.08–2.88; P=0.023). Depending on the level of education, between 27% (high education) and 58% (low education) of the differences in infection were mediated by the frequency of working from home. CONCLUSIONS: Working from home could prevent SARS-CoV-2 infections and contribute to the explanation of socioeconomic inequalities in infection risks. Wherever possible, additional capacities to work remotely, particularly for occupations that require lower educational attainment, should be considered as an important measure of pandemic preparedness. Limitations of this study are the observational cross-sectional design and that the temporal order between infection and working from home remained unclear.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Design and Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Education and pandemic SARS-CoV-2 infections in the German working population – the mediating role of working from home

Wachtler,

Beese,

Demirer

et al. 2024

Scand J Work Environ Health

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Prevalence of Long COVID-associated symptoms in adults with and without SARS-CoV-2 infection in Germany: Results of the population-based study “Corona Monitoring Nationwide 2021/22” (RKI-SOEP-2)

Poethko-Müller,

Ordonez-Cruickshank,

Nübel

et al. 2023

Preprint

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BackgroundControlled population-based studies on long-term health sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 can help to identify clinical signs specific to “Long COVID” and to evaluate this emerging public health challenge.AimTo examine prevalence differences of Long COVID-associated symptoms among adults with and without SARS-CoV-2 infection in Germany.MethodsThis population-based, retrospective study (11/2021-2/2022) included 7,683 working aged adults (18-65 years), a subset of the Corona Monitoring Nationwide study in Germany. Prior SARS-CoV-2 infection was defined based on self-reported PCR-confirmed infections and IgG-antibody dried blood spot testing. Participants answered a questionnaire including 19 common symptoms of Long COVID experienced in the six months preceding the survey. We estimated population-weighted prevalence of (1) individual symptoms, and (2) ≥1 symptom, with and without impact on work ability, by infection status within strata of sex, age group, income and comorbidity. We calculated model-adjusted prevalence differences and the probability that symptoms among infected are attributable to infection.Results12 of 19 symptoms showed a significantly higher prevalence in infected than non-infected participants, including fatigue (27.5% versus 18.3%; p<0.001), concentration problems (22.2% vs. 13.1%; p<0.001), shortness of breath (15.6% vs. 7.5%; p<0.001), and smell and taste disorder (10% vs. 1.2%; p<0.001). ≥1 symptom with impact on work ability was more prevalent following infection (16.0% vs. 12.2%; p=0.06) with a model-adjusted prevalence difference of 3.8% (95%-CI -0.5-8.0).ConclusionWe observed a rather small excess prevalence attributable to SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, the absolute number of persons places great demands on the health care system and may affect economic productivity.

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Socioeconomic Differences in SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Vaccination in Germany: A Seroepidemiological Study After One Year of COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign

Bartig,

Beese,

Wachtler

et al. 2023

Int J Public Health

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Objective: To evaluate the socioeconomic patterns of SARS-CoV-2 antigen contacts through infection, vaccination or both (“hybrid immunity”) after 1 year of vaccination campaign.Methods: Data were derived from the German seroepidemiological Corona Monitoring Nationwide study (RKI-SOEP-2; n = 10,448; November 2021–February 2022). Combining serological and self-report data, we estimated adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) of SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19 vaccination, basic immunization (at least two SARS-CoV-2 antigen contacts through vaccination and/or infection), and three antigen contacts by education and income.Results: Low-education groups had 1.35-times (95% CI 1.01–1.82) the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to high-education groups. COVID-19 vaccination (at least one dose) and basic immunization decreased with lower education and income. Low-education and low-income groups were less likely to have had at least three antigen contacts (PR low vs. high education: 0.74, 95% CI 0.65–0.84; PR low vs. high income: 0.66, 95% CI 0.57–0.77).Conclusion: The results suggest a lower level of protection against severe COVID-19 for individuals from low and medium socioeconomic groups. Pandemic response and vaccination campaigns should address the specific needs and barriers of these groups.

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Nationwide population-based infection- and vaccine-induced SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Germany at the end of 2021

Cited by 3 publications

References 27 publications

Education and pandemic SARS-CoV-2 infections in the German working population – the mediating role of working from home

Education and pandemic SARS-CoV-2 infections in the German working population – the mediating role of working from home

Prevalence of Long COVID-associated symptoms in adults with and without SARS-CoV-2 infection in Germany: Results of the population-based study “Corona Monitoring Nationwide 2021/22” (RKI-SOEP-2)

Socioeconomic Differences in SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Vaccination in Germany: A Seroepidemiological Study After One Year of COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign

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