SARS-CoV-2 PCR and antibody positivity among school staff at the beginning and end of the first school term

BMC Public Health

Mohamed Elgendy¹  Moza Alishaq²  Andrew Jeremijenko²  Peter V. Coyle²  Jameela Ali Al Ajmi²  Anil George Thomas²  Abdul-Badi Abou-Samra³  Hamed Elgendy⁴  Adeel A. Butt⁵  Hanaa Nafady-Hego⁶ 

[1] Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Sains of Malaysia, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia;Hamad Medical Corporation, PO Box 3050, Doha, Qatar;Hamad Medical Corporation, PO Box 3050, Doha, Qatar;Department of Medicine and Department of Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA;Hamad Medical Corporation, PO Box 3050, Doha, Qatar;Department of Medicine and Department of Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA;Anesthesia Department, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt;Hamad Medical Corporation, PO Box 3050, Doha, Qatar;Department of Medicine and Department of Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA;Anesthesia Department, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt;Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, Doha, Qatar;Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt;

关键词: COVID-19;    SARS-CoV-2;    Qatar;    Schools;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-021-12134-4

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThere is controversy regarding the role of in-person attendance in schools and transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Several studies have demonstrated no increase in transmission, while some have reported large outbreaks with in-person attendance. We determined the incidence and risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection among school staff after one school term.MethodsNasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR and blood for SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing were obtained from staff at a large international school in Qatar at the beginning of the 2020–2021 school year and repeated at the end of the first term.ResultsA total of 376 staff provided samples for testing. At the beginning of the 2020–2021 school year, the PCR positivity for SARS-CoV-2 was 13%, while seropositivity was 30.1%. A majority of those who tested positive either by PCR or serologically, were non-teaching staff. At the end of the first school term four months later, only 3.5% of the initially antibody-negative staff had seroconverted. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, male gender (OR 11.48, 95%CI 4.77–27.64), non-teaching job category (OR 3.09, 95%CI 1.10–8.64), contact with a confirmed case (OR 20.81, 95%CI 2.90–149.18), and presence of symptoms in the preceding 2 weeks [1–2 symptoms OR 4.82, 95%CI 1.79–12.94); ≥3 symptoms OR 42.30, 95%CI 3.76–476.43) independently predicted SARS-CoV-2 infection in school staff before school starting.ConclusionMale gender, non-teaching job, presence of symptoms, and exposure to a confirmed case were associated with higher risk of infection. These data can help policymakers in determining the optimal strategy for school reopening.

【 授权许可】

CC BY