Seroprevalence of the SARS-CoV-2 infection in health workers of the Sanitary Region VIII, at province of Buenos Aires

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: in the context of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the situation of health care workers (HCW) constitutes  a focus of interest, due to their high exposure and the possibility of becoming disseminators of the infection in the  community. These workers face an unprecedented occupational risk of morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to  estimate the seroprevalence of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection in health workers of the Sanitary Region VIII, at  province of Buenos Aires during June 2020. METHODS: a cross-sectional design was used. A probabilistic sampling by two-stage  conglomerates was carried out. Data were collected from a selfadministered questionnaire and a blood sample for antibody identification. The COVIDAR IgG and IgM® test was used. RESULTS: 738 health workers were included; the overall response rate  was 73.80%. 71.83% of that were women; 46.39% were between 35 and 49 years of age. Nurses and physicians accounted  for more than half of the staff. 75.86% of people claimed to always use personal protective equipment. 5.61% of people had  close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19. 4.60% of people had previously had a nasopharyngeal swab with a negative result. Five workers had positive IgG for SARS-CoV-2 (four women and one man), with negative IgM. The mean age of the cases  was 35 years old; two of them were asymptomatic; neither of them had a swab sample taken. The overall seroprevalence was  0.75%, with no significant differences between strata. DISCUSSION: the seroprevalence found was low; indicating a large  proportion of workers was susceptible to infection. We stress the need to complement passive epidemiological surveillance  strategies with serological monitoring in health workers.