COVID-19 Seroprevalence among Healthcare Workers of a Large COVID-19 Hospital in Rome Reveals Strengths and Limits of Two Different Serological Tests

Giuseppe Vetrugno, Daniele Ignazio La Milia, Floriana D’Ambrosio, Marcello Di Pumpo, Roberta Pastorino, Stefania Boccia, Rosalba Ricci, Fabio De-Giorgio, Michela Cicconi, Federica Foti, Domenico Pascucci, Francesco Castrini, Elettra Carini, Andrea Cambieri, Maria Elena D’Alfonso, Gennaro Capalbo, Massimo Fantoni, Umberto Moscato, Domenico Staiti, Francesco Maria De Simone, Filippo Berloco, Gianfranco Damiani, Maurizio Zega, Paola Cattani, Brunella Posteraro, Maurizio Sanguinetti and Patrizia Laurenti
Additional contact information
Giuseppe Vetrugno: Risk Management Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Daniele Ignazio La Milia: Hospital Health Management, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Floriana D’Ambrosio: Section of Hygiene, University Department of Health Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Marcello Di Pumpo: Section of Hygiene, University Department of Health Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Roberta Pastorino: Department of Woman and Child Health and Public Health—Public Health Area, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Stefania Boccia: Section of Hygiene, University Department of Health Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Rosalba Ricci: Department of Laboratory and Infectivological Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Fabio De-Giorgio: Section of Legal Medicine, Department of Health Care Surveillance and Bioethics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Michela Cicconi: Risk Management Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Federica Foti: Risk Management Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Domenico Pascucci: Section of Hygiene, University Department of Health Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Francesco Castrini: Section of Hygiene, University Department of Health Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Elettra Carini: Section of Hygiene, University Department of Health Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Andrea Cambieri: Hospital Health Management, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Maria Elena D’Alfonso: Hospital Health Management, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Gennaro Capalbo: Hospital Health Management, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Massimo Fantoni: Department of Laboratory and Infectivological Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Umberto Moscato: Section of Hygiene, University Department of Health Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Domenico Staiti: Department of Woman and Child Health and Public Health—Public Health Area, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Francesco Maria De Simone: Department of Woman and Child Health and Public Health—Public Health Area, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Filippo Berloco: Hospital Health Management, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Gianfranco Damiani: Section of Hygiene, University Department of Health Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Maurizio Zega: Director of Nursing Service Technician and Rehabilitation Administration (S.I.T.R.A.), Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli, 00168 Rome, Italy
Paola Cattani: Department of Laboratory and Infectivological Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Brunella Posteraro: Department of Basic Biotechnological Sciences, Intensive and Perioperative Clinics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Maurizio Sanguinetti: Department of Laboratory and Infectivological Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Patrizia Laurenti: Section of Hygiene, University Department of Health Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 5, 1-10

Abstract: Healthcare workers are at the forefront against COVID-19, worldwide. Since Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli (FPG) IRCCS was enlisted as a COVID-19 hospital, the healthcare workers deployed to COVID-19 wards were separated from those with limited/no exposure, whereas the administrative staff were designated to work from home. Between 4 June and 3 July 2020, an investigation was conducted to evaluate the seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) immunoglobulin (IgG) antibodies among the employees of the FPG using point-of-care (POC) and venous blood tests. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values were determined with reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction on nasal/oropharyngeal swabs as the diagnostic gold standard. The participants enrolled amounted to 4777. Seroprevalence was 3.66% using the POC test and 1.19% using the venous blood test, with a significant difference ( p < 0.05). The POC test sensitivity and specificity were, respectively, 63.64% (95% confidence interval (CI): 62.20% to 65.04%) and 96.64% (95% CI: 96.05% to 97.13%), while those of the venous blood test were, respectively, 78.79% (95% CI: 77.58% to 79.94%) and 99.36% (95% CI: 99.07% to 99.55%). Among the low-risk populations, the POC test’s predictive values were 58.33% (positive) and 98.23% (negative), whereas those of the venous blood test were 92.86% (positive) and 98.53% (negative). According to our study, these serological tests cannot be a valid alternative to diagnose COVID-19 infection in progress.

Keywords: COVID-19; healthcare workers; point-of-care; SARS-CoV-2; serological tests; seroprevalence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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