Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence by Community Survey and Residual Specimens, Denver, Colorado, July-August 2020

Details

• Personal Author:
  Alden NB ; Biggerstaff BJ ; Biggs HM ; Burket TL ; Cortese MM ; Drobeniuc J ; Foster MA ; Herlihy RK ; Kawasaki B ; Kugeler KJ ; Lim T ; McDonald E ; Podewils LJ ; Tate JE ; Zacks R
• Description:
  Objectives: The number of SARS-CoV-2 infections is underestimated in surveillance data. Various approaches to assess the seroprevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 have different resource requirements and generalizability. We estimated the seroprevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in Denver County, Colorado, via a cluster-sampled community survey. Methods: We estimated the overall seroprevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 via a community seroprevalence survey in Denver County in July 2020, described patterns associated with seroprevalence, and compared results with cumulative COVID-19 incidence as reported to the health department during the same period. In addition, we compared seroprevalence as assessed with a temporally and geographically concordant convenience sample of residual clinical specimens from a commercial laboratory. Results: Based on 404 specimens collected through the community survey, 8.0% (95% CI, 3.9%-15.7%) of Denver County residents had antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, an infection rate of about 7 times that of the 1.1% cumulative reported COVID-19 incidence during this period. The estimated infection-to-reported case ratio was highest among children (34.7; 95% CI, 11.1-91.2) and males (10.8; 95% CI, 5.7-19.3). Seroprevalence was highest among males of Black race or Hispanic ethnicity and was associated with previous COVID-19-compatible illness, a previous positive SARS-CoV-2 test result, and close contact with someone who had confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Testing of 1598 residual clinical specimens yielded a seroprevalence of 6.8% (95% CI, 5.0%-9.2%); the difference between the 2 estimates was 1.2 percentage points (95% CI, -3.6 to 12.2 percentage points). Conclusions: Testing residual clinical specimens provided a similar seroprevalence estimate yet yielded limited insight into the local epidemiology of COVID-19 and might be less representative of the source population than a cluster-sampled community survey. Awareness of the limitations of various sampling strategies is necessary when interpreting findings from seroprevalence assessments. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Antibodies Communicable Diseases Epidemiology Immune System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: SARS-CoV-2 Community Based COVID-19 Immune System Infectious Diseases SARS-CoV-2 Serology Seroprevalence Surveillance
• ISSN:
  0033-3549
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; Georgia ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 8
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  128-136
• Volume:
  137
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20064033
• Citation:
  Public Health Rep 2022 Jan/Feb; 137(1):128-136
• Contact Point Address:
  Margaret M. Cortese, MD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 Response Team, 1600 Clifton Rd NE, MS H24-5, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
• Email:
  mcortese@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Public Health Reports
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8460ddb4d608953be083bcd919b56ba3e07a15e854f917d7541479a0a2c13e5607d18d3b124cf72a86958bdceafe4979baefb8fbb0626e3b39a4a37dd59d76ff
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/222560/cdc_222560_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 175.14 KB ]