A cross-sectional anti-SARS coV-2 seroprevalence study among healthcare workers in a tertiary care hospital of eastern India

Abstract

Purpose: Seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in a cohort of health care workers (HCWs) in our tertiary health care set-up and determine the association of seroconversion with demographic characteristics, level of exposure, job responsibilities, and clinical symptoms of HCWs exposed to COVID-19 patients. Method: An observational cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology, ESI-Postgraduate Institute of Medical Science and Research (PGIMSR), Kolkata. The study population was hospital staff who deliver care and services to patients Result: A total of 242 HCWs participated in this cross-sectional study. Among the study population, 161 (66.5%) were male, and 81 (33.5%) were females, and the median age was 43 years. Of all, 22.7% were physicians, 22.3% nurses, 15.7% lab technician. A total of 16 HCWs had reported having diabetes mellitus, 7 chronic lung diseases, and 4 cardiac diseases. Out of 242 participants, 30 (12.4%) HCWs were found to be anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody positive after 4 months of duty in COVID hospital. Seropositivity rate was more among the age group 18–44 years (76.7%) and doctors (33.3%) than other disciplines. Around 31.4% (76/242) of them had high-risk exposure with either COVID patients or samples, and 18.4% became seropositive. A total of 59.1% HCWs gave the history of known or suspected contact with COVID patients in the household, and 14.7% turned seropositive. A total of 84.8% of those participants, who attended in-house training on infection control practices, remained seronegative. Conclusion: In conclusion, the cross-sectional serology study in a tertiary care hospital in Kolkata revealed 30 (12.4%) HCWs had positive serology responses to SARS-CoV-2 out of 242 participants. Though there was an infection control policy and practice in the hospital to prevent the disease transmission, high-risk exposure and presence of comorbidities were definite risk factors for acquiring disease in our study.