Low SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence but high perception of risk among healthcare workers at children'

• 作 者: Marietta Neumann Annette Aigner Eileen Rossow David Schwarz Maria Marschallek J(o)rg Steinmann Ralf Stücker Ingo Koenigs Philippe Stock
• 机 构: Department of Paediatrics,Altona Children’s Hospital,Universit(a)t Hamburg,Altonaer Kinderkrankenhau
• 出 处: 世界儿科杂志（英文版）
• 发表日期: 2021年5期
• 关键词: Health personnel SARS-CoV-2 Seroepidemiologic studies Pediatrics

Background Healthcare workers are considered a particularly high-risk group during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Healthcare workers in paediatrics are a unique subgroup:they come into frequent contact with children,who often experience few or no symptoms when infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)and,therefore,may transmit the disease to unprotected staff.In Germany,no studies exist evaluating the risk of COVID-19 to healthcare workers in paediatric institutions.Methods We tested the staff at a large children\'s hospital in Germany for immunoglobulin (Ig) G antibodies against the nucle-ocapsid protein of SARS-CoV-2 in a period between the first and second epidemic wave in Germany.We used a questionnaire to assess each individual\'s exposure risk and his/her own perception of having already been infected with SARS-CoV-2.Results We recruited 619 participants from all sectors,clinical and non-clinical,constituting 70％ of the entire staff.The seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was 0.325％ (95％ confidence interval 0.039-1.168).Self-perceived risk of a previ-ous SARS-CoV-2 infection decreased with age (odds ratio,0.81;95％ confidence interval,0.70-0.93).Having experienced symptoms more than doubled the odds of a high self-perceived risk (odds ratio,2.18;95％ confidence interval,1.59-3.00).There was no significant difference in self-perceived risk between men and women.Conclusions Seroprevalence was low among healthcare workers at a large children\'s hospital in Germany before the second epidemic wave,and it was far from a level that confers herd immunity.Self-perceived risk of infection is often overestimated.