TY - JOUR
TI - SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in healthcare workers of a Swiss tertiary care centre at the end of the first wave: A cross-sectional study
AU - Meylan, S.
AU - Dafni, U.
AU - Lamoth, F.
AU - Tsourti, Z.
AU - Lobritz, M.A.
AU - Regina, J.
AU - Bressin, P.
AU - Senn, L.
AU - Grandbastien, B.
AU - Andre, C.
AU - Fenwick, C.
AU - D'Acremont, V.
AU - Croxatto, A.
AU - Guilleret, I.
AU - Greub, G.
AU - Manuel, O.
AU - Calandra, T.
AU - Pantaleo, G.
AU - Lazor-Blanchet, C.
JO - BMJ Open Ophthalmology
PY - 2021
VL - 11
TODO - 7
SP - null
PB - BMJ Publishing Group
SN - null
TODO - 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-049232
TODO - SARS-CoV-2 antibody, adult;  aerosol generating procedure;  anosmia;  Article;  coronavirus disease 2019;  cross-sectional study;  disease marker;  disinfection;  dysgeusia;  emergency ward;  epidemiological monitoring;  female;  fever;  government;  health care personnel;  hospital administrator;  human;  infection risk;  intensive care unit;  laryngoscopy;  major clinical study;  male;  medical student;  medical technology;  myalgia;  nasopharyngeal swab;  nonhuman;  noninvasive ventilation;  nursing assistant;  nursing staff;  occupational exposure;  overall response rate;  physician;  prevalence;  protective glasses;  questionnaire;  resuscitation;  risk factor;  sensitivity and specificity;  seroconversion;  seroprevalence;  Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2;  social worker;  sore throat;  Switzerland;  symptomatology;  tertiary care center;  traffic and transport;  virus transmission;  waste management;  epidemiology;  health care personnel;  seroepidemiology;  tertiary care center, COVID-19;  Cross-Sectional Studies;  Health Personnel;  Humans;  SARS-CoV-2;  Seroepidemiologic Studies;  Switzerland;  Tertiary Care Centers
TODO - Objective To assess the SARS-CoV-2 transmission in healthcare workers (HCWs) using seroprevalence as a surrogate marker of infection in our tertiary care centre according to exposure. Design Seroprevalence cross-sectional study. Setting Single centre at the end of the first COVID-19 wave in Lausanne, Switzerland. Participants 1874 of 4074 responders randomly selected (46% response rate), stratified by work category among the 13 474 (13.9%) HCWs. Main outcome measures Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 serostatus paired with a questionnaire of SARS-CoV-2 acquisition risk factors internal and external to the workplace. Results The overall SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence rate among HCWs was 10.0% (95% CI 8.7% to 11.5%). HCWs with daily patient contact did not experience increased rates of seropositivity relative to those without (10.3% vs 9.6%, respectively, p=0.64). HCWs with direct contact with patients with COVID-19 or working in COVID-19 units did not experience increased seropositivity rates relative to their counterparts (10.4% vs 9.8%, p=0.69 and 10.6% vs 9.9%, p=0.69, respectively). However, specific locations of contact with patients irrespective of COVID-19 status - in patient rooms or reception areas - did correlate with increased rates of seropositivity (11.9% vs 7.5%, p=0.019 and 14.3% vs 9.2%, p=0.025, respectively). In contrast, HCWs with a suspected or proven SARS-CoV-2-infected household contact had significantly higher seropositivity rates than those without such contacts (19.0% vs 8.7%, p<0.001 and 42.1% vs 9.4%, p<0.001, respectively). Finally, consistent use of a mask on public transportation correlated with decreased seroprevalence (5.3% for mask users vs 11.2% for intermittent or no mask use, p=0.030). Conclusions The overall seroprevalence was 10% without significant differences in seroprevalence between HCWs exposed to patients with COVID-19 and HCWs not exposed. This suggests that, once fully in place, protective measures limited SARS-CoV-2 occupational acquisition within the hospital environment. SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion among HCWs was associated primarily with community risk factors, particularly household transmission. © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.
ER -