Abstract
Background: Serologic testing provides better understanding of SARS-CoV-2 prevalence and its transmission. This study was an investigation of the prevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 among blood donors in Saudi Arabia.
Objective: To estimate the seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among blood donors in Saudi Arabia during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: Serology results and epidemiological data were analyzed for 837 adult blood donors, with no confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, in Saudi Arabia from 20th to 25th May 2020. Seroprevalence was determined using electrochemical immunoassay to detect anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.
Results: The overall seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was 1.4% (12/837). Non-citizens had higher seroprevalence compared with citizens (OR 13.6, p = 0.001). Secondary education was significantly associated with higher seroprevalence compared with higher education (OR 6.8, p = 0.005). The data showed that the highest seroprevalence was in Makkah (8.1%). Uisng Makkah seroprevalence as the reference, the seroprevalence in other areas was: Madinah 4.1% (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.12-1.94), Jeddah 2.3% (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.31-2.25), and Qassim 2.9 % (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.04-2.89) and these were not statistically different from seroprevalence in the Makkah region.
Conclusions: At the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia, the seroprevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 among blood donors was low, but was higher among non-citizens. These findings may indicate that non-citizens and less educated individuals may be less attentive to preventive measures. Monitoring seroprevalence trends over time require repeated sampling.
Keywords: Blood donors; COVID-19; IgG antibody; SARS-CoV-2; Serology; Seroprevalence.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, serology, Seroprevalence, Blood donors, IgG antibody, 【초록키워드】 IgG, serology, antibody, SARS-COV-2 infection, COVID-19 pandemic, Seroprevalence, Transmission, anti-SARS-CoV-2, Saudi Arabia, Prevalence, immunoassay, anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, Blood donors, IgG antibody, anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody, Jeddah, serologic, monitoring, epidemiological data, preventive measures, higher education, serologic testing, blood donor, Secondary education, 95% CI, individual, early phase, repeated, highest, analyzed, detect, significantly, provide, was determined, less, statistically, 【제목키워드】 pandemic, antibody, Blood donors, blood donor,