1. Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in residents of Karachi-challenges in acquiring herd immunity for COVID 19.
- Author
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Zaidi S, Rizwan F, Riaz Q, Siddiqui A, Khawaja S, Imam M, Naz A, Waheed S, and Shamsi T
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Adult, Antibodies, Viral blood, COVID-19 immunology, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Health Personnel, Humans, Industry, Male, Middle Aged, Pakistan epidemiology, SARS-CoV-2, Seroepidemiologic Studies, Young Adult, COVID-19 epidemiology, Immunity, Herd
- Abstract
Background: The recent pandemic by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a global emergency. There is large number of asymptomatic cases of SARS-CoV-2 that are not reported. Hence, serological evidence of SARS-CoV2 antibodies is warranted for a better estimation of the actual number of infected patients to limit the disease spread and to get an idea of herd immunity., Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted from May 2020 to July 2020 at National Institute of Blood Diseases at Pakistan. The study includes healthcare workers (HCWs), community and industrial workers. The anti-SARS-CoV-2 test was performed by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay analyzer., Results: A total of 1675 samples have been received from three groups of population. The percentage positivity for industrial employees is high (50.3%) for HCW (13.2%) and community population (34%).Total percentage for positive antibodies result is ~36%., Conclusion: Our seroprevalence is 36%, which still far from herd immunity that needs to be at least 60-70% in population. If we consider acquiring 60% seroprevalence in next few months, then herd immunity is not far from reality, provided the antibodies did not decline with time. Although the current study is based on a small sample of participants, the findings suggest a study with larger population to implement stronger and targeted interventions., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)
- Published
- 2021
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