Seroprevalence of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in a Random Sample of Inhabitants of the Katowice Region, Poland

Jan E. Zejda, Grzegorz M. Brożek, Małgorzata Kowalska, Kamil Barański, Angelina Kaleta-Pilarska, Artur Nowakowski, Yuchen Xia and Paweł Buszman
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Jan E. Zejda: Department of Epidemiology, School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Grzegorz M. Brożek: Department of Epidemiology, School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Małgorzata Kowalska: Department of Epidemiology, School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Kamil Barański: Department of Epidemiology, School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Angelina Kaleta-Pilarska: Department of Epidemiology, School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Artur Nowakowski: Department of Epidemiology, School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Yuchen Xia: State Key Laboratory of Virology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Paweł Buszman: Department of Epidemiology, School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-752 Katowice, Poland

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 6, 1-10

Abstract: Lack of knowledge around seroprevalence levels of COVID-19 in Poland was the reason for the implementation of a seroepidemiological study in the Katowice Region (2,100,000 inhabitants). In October–November 2020, a questionnaire examination and measurement of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM antibodies were performed in a random sample of the general population ( n = 1167). The objectives of the study were to estimate the prevalence of IgG and IgM antibodies and to assess their host-related correlates. The prevalence of IgG seropositivity was 11.4% (95% CI: 9.5–13.2%) and IgM seropositivity was 4.6% (95% CI: 3.5–5.8%). Diagnosis of COVID-19 was found in 4.8% of subjects. A positive IgG test was statistically significantly associated with age (inverse relationship), a person’s contact with a COVID-19 patient, quarantine, and two symptoms in the past: fever and loss of smell/taste. Positive IgG tests were less prevalent in subjects who had diagnoses of arterial hypertension, diabetes, or rheumatologic disorders. IgM test positivity was associated with quarantine and loss of smell/taste only with no effect of chronic diseases found. In Poland, in the period October–November 2020, the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was larger than earlier estimates obtained in other European countries, probably reflecting the measurements obtained during the “second wave” of the epidemic.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; IgG/IgM seroprevalence; representative sample; general population; risk factors (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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