SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence among Healthcare Workers in General Hospitals and Clinics in Japan

Yoshihara, Tatsuya; Ito, Kazuya; Zaitsu, Masayoshi; Chung, Eunhee; Aoyagi, Izumi; Kaji, Yoshikazu; Tsuru, Tomomi; Yonemura, Takuma; Yamaguchi, Koji; Nakayama, Shinichi; Tanaka, Yosuke; Yurino, Nobuo; Koyanagi, Hideki; Matsuki, Shunji; Urae, Ryuji; Irie, Shin

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a serious public health problem worldwide. In general, healthcare workers are considered to be at higher risk of COVID-19 infection. However, the prevalence of COVID-19 among healthcare workers in Japan is not well characterized. In this study, we aimed to examine the seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies among 2160 healthcare workers in hospitals and clinics that are not designated to treat COVID-19 patients in Japan. The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G was 1.2% in August and October 2020 (during and after the second wave of the pandemic in Japan), which is relatively higher than that in the general population in Japan (0.03–0.91%). Because of the higher risk of COVID-19 infection, healthcare workers should be the top priority for further social support and vaccination against SARS-CoV-2.