The Role of Serology Testing in the Context of Immunization Policies for COVID-19 in Latin American Countries

Abstract

This review aims to explore the role and value of serology testing in the context of COVID-19 immunization policies in Latin American countries and the barriers and challenges to the adequate use and uptake of this tool. It builds on a review of the academic literature, evidence, and existing policies, and includes a multistage process of discussion and feedback by a group of five experts. Regional and country-level evidence and resources from five focus countries—Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico—were collected and analyzed. This review contains an overview of (1) the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the variants of concern and current testing strategies, (2) the introduction of COVID-19 vaccination, (3) the potential use of serology testing to support immunization initiatives, (4) the current frameworks for the use of serology testing in the region, and (5) the barriers and challenges to implementing serology testing in the context of COVID-19 immunization policies, including a discussion on the potential actions required to address these barriers and facilitate the uptake of this strategy in the region. Stakeholders can use elements of this document to guide timely decision-making, raise awareness, and inspire further studies.

Exploring the Role of Serology Testing to Strengthen Vaccination Initiatives and Policies for COVID-19 in Asia Pacific Countries and Territories: A Discussion Paper

“…No impact on antigen tests observed. 4 Not determined. Omicron has consistently been associated with lower severity when compared with Delta, evidence on the risk of hospitalization varies across countries.…”

“…3 High priority-use: adults with comorbidities, pregnant persons, teachers, and other essential workers, and disadvantaged sociodemographic subpopulations at higher risk of severe COVID-19. 4 Medium priority-use: remaining adults, children, and adolescents with comorbidities. 5 Lowest priority-use: healthy children and adolescents.…”

“…This review was inspired by two similar projects conducted in Europe [3] and Latin America [4], and adopted similar frameworks for the discussion and validation of evidence and for data collection. Materials were reviewed and included for analysis based on the following criteria:…”

Psychological impact of coronavirus disease on nurses exposed and non-exposed to disease

“…COVID-19 was spreading domestically and soon became an international pandemic, inducing the most extraordinary public health emergency in modern history ( Chan et al, 2003 ). > 243 million confirmed cases and over 4.9 million deaths have been reported until October 2021 ( dos Santos Ferreira et al, 2021 ). In addition to the physical impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, a psychological impact was also reported in the general population due to changes in daily lifestyle and restrictions on social activities ( Serafini et al, 2020 ).…”

Policy successes and policy failures in COVID-19 vaccinations in Latin American countries

“…The analysis of COVID-19 vaccination policies has been carried out through case studies of countries: Japan (7), Norway (8), Malawi (9), Pakistan (10), United States (11); Philippines (12); of different groups of countries according to national income (13); on the influence of transmission dynamics (14); characteristics of policy decisions (15); effectiveness of interventions to increase coverage (16); global access factors (17); and of mass vaccinations (18). In Latin America, the analysis of COVID-19 vaccination policies has been identified in the access of vaccines to Venezuelan migrants in different countries of the region (19), willingness to vaccinate in rural populations in Mexico (20), and the use of serological tests in vaccination programs (21).…”