Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 following the largest initial epidemic wave in the United States: Findings from New York City, May 13-July 21, 2020

Pathela, Preeti; Crawley, Addie; Weiss, Don; Maldin, Beth; Cornell, Jennifer; Purdin, Jeff; Schumacher, Pamela K; Marovich, Stacey; Li, Joyce; Daskalakis, Demetre

BACKGROUND: New York City (NYC) was the U.S. epicenter of the Spring 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. We present seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and correlates of seropositivity immediately after the first wave. METHODS: From a serosurvey of adult NYC residents (May 13-July 21, 2020), we calculated the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies stratified by participant demographics, symptom history, health status, and employment industry. We used multivariable regression models to assess associations between participant characteristics and seropositivity. RESULTS: Seroprevalence among 45,367 participants was 23.6% (95% CI, 23.2%-24.0%). High seroprevalence (>30%) was observed among Black and Hispanic individuals, people from high poverty neighborhoods, and people in health care or essential worker industry sectors. COVID-19 symptom history was associated with seropositivity (adjusted relative risk=2.76; 95% CI, 2.65-2.88). Other risk factors included sex, age, race/ethnicity, residential area, employment sector, working outside the home, contact with a COVID-19 case, obesity, and increasing numbers of household members. CONCLUSIONS: Based on a large serosurvey in a single U.S. jurisdiction, we estimate that just under one-quarter of NYC adults were infected in the first few months of the COVID-19 epidemic. Given disparities in infection risk, effective interventions for at-risk groups are needed during ongoing transmission.