Half year longitudinal seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2-antibodies and rule compliance in German hospital employees

Herzberg, J.; Vollmer, T.; Fischer, B.; Becher, H.; Becker, A.-K.; Sahly, H.; Honarpisheh, H.; Guraya, S. Y.; Strate, T.; Knabbe, C.

Introduction COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, is an occupational health risk especially for healthcare employees. This study was designed to determine the longitudinal seroprevalence of specific immunglobolin-G (IgG)-antibodies in employees in a hospital setting. Methods All employees including healthcare and non-healthcare workers in a secondary care hospital were invited to participate in this single-center study. After an initial screening, a 6 months follow-up was done which included serological examination for SARS-CoV-2-IgG-antibodies and a questionnaire for self-reported symptoms, self-perception and thoughts about the local and national hygiene and pandemic plans. Results The seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2-IgG-antibodies was 0.74% among 406 hospital employees (95% confidence interval) (0.75% in healthcare workers, 0.72% in non-healthcare workers), initially recruited in April 2020, in their follow-up blood specimen in October 2020. In this study, 30.54% of the participants reported using the official German corona mobile application and the majority were content with the local and national rules in relation to Coronavirus restrictions. Discussion At the 6 months follow-up, the 0.74% seroprevalence was below the reported seroprevalence of 1.35% in the general German population. The prevalence in healthcare workers in direct patient care compared with those without direct patient contact did not differ significantly.