SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence in Healthcare Workers before the Vaccination in Poland: Evolution from the First to the Second Pandemic Outbreak

Izabela Korona-Głowniak, Michał Mielnik, Martyna Podgajna, Ewelina Grywalska, Marek Hus, Katarzyna Matuska, Beata Wojtysiak-Duma, Dariusz Duma, Andrzej Glowniak and Anna Malm
Additional contact information
Izabela Korona-Głowniak: Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
Michał Mielnik: Department of Hematooncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Medical University of Lublin, 20-081 Lublin, Poland
Martyna Podgajna: Department of Experimental Immunology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
Ewelina Grywalska: Department of Experimental Immunology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
Marek Hus: Department of Hematooncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Medical University of Lublin, 20-081 Lublin, Poland
Katarzyna Matuska: Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
Beata Wojtysiak-Duma: Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical University, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
Dariusz Duma: Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical University, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
Andrzej Glowniak: Department of Cardiology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
Anna Malm: Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 4, 1-13

Abstract: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are on the frontline, struggling with the pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). To describe recent or past infections, the serological assays enabled the assessment of the immune response developed in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the period when testing was hardly available. In this study, we investigated SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in HCWs in a Polish teaching hospital and the Regional Occupational Medicine Center after both the first and the second waves. ELISA-based tests for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgA and IgG were used to determine immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in volunteer HCWs who worked in those institutions in May 2020 (208 participants aged 47.1 ± 12.5, 88% women) and in December 2020 (179 participants aged 45.2 ± 12.4, 86% woman). Risk factors for seropositivity were also assessed using a questionnaire filled out by all participants. We reported a significant increase in seroprevalence after the second wave (22.9%) compared with the first outbreak (2.4%) (OR 12.1; 95%CI 4.6–31.3; p < 0.0001). An association between IgG seroprevalence and severity of infections was noted. Furthermore, we demonstrated that amongst medical personnel, nurses exhibited a proportionally higher SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence. Moreover, given the high seroprevalence in non-clinical group of HCWs, we suggest that community transmission can play a superior role to workplace exposure.

Keywords: healthcare workers; SARS-CoV-2; IgG/IgA seroprevalence; risk factors (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/4/2319/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/4/2319/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:4:p:2319-:d:751886

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().