Prevalence of COVID-19 antibodies among operating room and critical care staff at a tertiary teaching hospital

Abstract

Objectives: To identify the prevalence of COVID-19 antibodies among operating room and critical care staff. Methods:In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 319 Healthcare workers employed in the operation theater and intensive care unit of King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), a tertiary teaching hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia between August 9, 2020 and November 2, 2020. All participants completed a 20-item questionnaire on demographic data and COVID-19 risk factors and provided blood samples. Antibody testing was performed using an in-house enzyme immunoassay and microneutralization test.Results: Of the 319 participants, 39 had detectable COVID-19 antibodies. Five of them had never Original Article experienced any symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, and only 19 were previously diagnosed with COVID-19. The odds of developing COVID-19 or having corresponding antibodies increased if participants experienced COVID-19 symptoms (odds ratio [OR], 3.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2-7.5) or reported contact with an infected family member (OR, 5.3; 95% CI, 2.5-11.2). Disease acquisition was not associated with employment in the ICU and involvement in the intubation of or close contact with COVID-19 patients. Of the 19 previously diagnosed participants, 6 did not possess any detectable COVID-19 antibodies.Conclusions: Healthcare workers may have undiagnosed COVID-19, and those previously infected may not have long-lasting immunity. Therefore, hospitals must continue to uphold strict infection control during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 Delta Variant: Perceptions, Worries, and Vaccine-Booster Acceptability among Healthcare Workers

“…The source of SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs was mainly the community, with rates as high as 61.3% found in a study from Saudi Arabia and 25.5% in another study from Oman [22,23]. However, it is important to note that seroprevalence studies showed a low prevalence of 2.3% early in the pandemic, and this rate rose to 12.2% in another study [24,25]. It is interesting to note that the majority of HCWs were aware of the newly described Delta variant but had much less knowledge about the Delta-Plus variant, which could be explained by the media focusing on the Delta variant, previous study has shown Saudi students having satisfactory knowledge about the COVID-19 but poor knowledge about its mode of transmission and background of the disease highlighting the emphasis of further education and training especially for HCWs in our case about the dynamics of the disease rather than the media quality of knowledge [26][27][28][29].…”

Development of Serological Assays and Seroprevalence Studies of the New Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19): Reports from Saudi Arabia

“…After publishing this paper, several other reports on the sero-status of COVID among healthcare workers started to appear [ 22 , 36 , 37 ]. Unlike the nationwide seroprevalence study discussed above, most of these studies were performed on healthcare workers from single hospitals with a relatively limited number of participants [ 22 , 36 ]. However, an added value for these studies was the diversity of serological assays utilized.…”

“…Another study from our lab was performed on operating room and critical care staff and demonstrated a 12.2% sero-positivity rate [ 36 ]. The study period was between 9 August 2020 to 2 November 2020, which may explain the increase in the seroprevalence status [ 36 ].…”

“…Another study from our lab was performed on operating room and critical care staff and demonstrated a 12.2% sero-positivity rate [ 36 ]. The study period was between 9 August 2020 to 2 November 2020, which may explain the increase in the seroprevalence status [ 36 ]. This study also performed extensive statistical analyses to identify risk factors associated with increased risk of acquiring COVID-19 among healthcare workers (e.g., contact with a COVID-19 family member); such information is valuable for disease control and prevention [ 36 ].…”

“…The study period was between 9 August 2020 to 2 November 2020, which may explain the increase in the seroprevalence status [ 36 ]. This study also performed extensive statistical analyses to identify risk factors associated with increased risk of acquiring COVID-19 among healthcare workers (e.g., contact with a COVID-19 family member); such information is valuable for disease control and prevention [ 36 ]. Interestingly, being in close contact with COVID-19 patients in the hospital or performing intubation did not significantly affect the sero-status of healthcare workers [ 36 ].…”