1. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Antibody Prevalence in Blood in a Large School Community Subject to a Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak: A Cross-sectional Study
- Author
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María Teresa Valenzuela, Cecilia Piñera, Miguel O'Ryan, Daniela Simian, Juan Pablo Torres, Cinthya Urquidi, Bárbara Torres, Verónica De la Maza, and Anne J. Lagomarcino
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Microbiology (medical) ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Abdominal pain ,Cross-sectional study ,business.industry ,Outbreak ,Chest pain ,Confidence interval ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Infectious Diseases ,El Niño ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Seroprevalence ,030212 general & internal medicine ,medicine.symptom ,business ,Index case ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
BackgroundA severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak affecting 52 people from a large school community in Santiago, Chile, was identified (12 March) 9 days after the first case in the country. We assessed the magnitude of the outbreak and the role students and staff played using self-administered antibody detection tests and a self-administered survey.MethodsThe school was closed on 13 March, and the entire community was placed under quarantine. We implemented a home-delivery, self-administered, immunoglobin (Ig) G/IgM antibody test and survey to a classroom-stratified sample of students and all staff from 4–19 May. We aimed to determine the overall seroprevalence rates by age group, reported symptoms, and contact exposure, and to explore the dynamics of transmission.ResultsThe antibody positivity rates were 9.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.2–11.8) for 1009 students and 16.6% (95% CI, 12.1–21.9) for 235 staff. Among students, positivity was associated with a younger age (P = .01), a lower grade level (P = .05), prior real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) positivity (P = .03), and a history of contact with a confirmed case (P ConclusionsTeachers were more affected during the outbreak and younger children were at a higher risk for infection, likely because index case(s) were teachers and/or parents from the preschool. Self-administered antibody testing, supervised remotely, proved to be a suitable and rapid tool. Our study provides useful information for school reopenings.
- Published
- 2020
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