Seroprevalence study of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in families and cohabitants of confirmed cases in Mashhad, Iran: a cross-sectional study.

Abstract

The seroepidemiological characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 were investigated along with the secondary infection rate in the household of confirmed patients in a high-risk population in Mashhad, Iran. The current descriptive cross-sectional study includes a total of 154 confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Mashhad, Iran, from March 2021 to December 2021. The participants' families were screened for SARS-CoV-2 secondary infection rate, and a standard checklist containing the research parameters was completed by all participants. The participants' average age was 43.19 ± 9.86 years, of which 80 (51.9%) were female and the rest were male. Of the participants, 147 (95.5%) reported using face masks, and 83 (53.9%) were using masks all the time. IgG and IgM of COVID-19 were positive in 43 (27.9%) and 8 (5.2%) individuals, respectively. The average positive rate in the participants was 0.12 ± 0.24. Wearing masks when contracting with an infected patient (p < 0.001 and r = -0.370), using a separate room (p < 0.001 and r = -0.663), a separate toilet (p < 0.001 and r = -0.663) and the number of family members (p = 0.013 and r = 0.201) were significantly correlated to the positive rate of infection among the participants. Adherence to wearing masks and using separate rooms, and toilets by households in contact with a COVID-19-confirmed patient reduces the secondary transmission rate of the disease among healthy family members. In addition, the probability of COVID-19 transmission is higher in larger families.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13337-024-00903-9.