SARS-CoV-2 is a worldwide challenge for the medical sector. Healthcare workers (HCW) are a cohort vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection due to frequent and close contact with COVID-19 patients. However, they are also well trained and equipped with protective gear. The SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody status was assessed at three different time points in 450 HCW of the University Hospital Essen in Germany. HCW were stratified according to contact frequencies with COVID-19 patients in (I) a high-risk group with daily contacts with known COVID-19 patients (n = 338), (II) an intermediate-risk group with daily contacts with non-COVID-19 patients (n = 78), and (III) a low-risk group without patient contacts (n = 34). The overall seroprevalence increased from 2.2% in March–May to 4.0% in June–July to 5.1% in October–December. The SARS-CoV-2 IgG detection rate was not significantly different between the high-risk group (1.8%; 3.8%; 5.5%), the intermediate-risk group (5.1%; 6.3%; 6.1%), and the low-risk group (0%, 0%, 0%). The overall SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence remained low in HCW in western Germany one year after the outbreak of COVID-19 in Germany, and hygiene standards seemed to be effective in preventing patient-to-staff virus transmission.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Healthcare workers, Seroprevalence, hygiene standards, 【초록키워드】 Healthcare workers, SARS-COV-2 infection, virus transmission, healthcare worker, Cohort, SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence, Germany, outbreak, SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody, Patient, university, detection rate, patients, SARS-CoV-2 IgG, COVID-19 patients, Protective, Frequency, close contact, Contact, COVID-19 patient, hygiene, HCW, contact with, Non-COVID-19 patients, effective, remained, different time point, stratified, Essen, non-COVID-19 patient, not significantly different, with COVID-19, 【제목키워드】 worker,