1. 553 Seroprevalence and kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in children in the UK: A prospective multicentre cohort study
- Author
-
Christopher A. Watson, Cathal Roarty, Thomas Waterfield, and Claire Tonry
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,biology ,business.industry ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ,Phlebotomy ,Titer ,Internal medicine ,Cohort ,biology.protein ,medicine ,Seroprevalence ,Antibody ,Prospective cohort study ,business ,Cohort study - Abstract
BackgroundDuring the first wave of the SARS- CoV-2 pandemic in England, children accounted for just 1% of confirmed infections, had a milder clinical course and had much lower mortality than adults, a pattern similar to other international settings. The proportion of children in the UK infected with SARS-CoV-2 was unknown, with children less likely to attend symptomatic testing and issues with the sensitivity of real time reverse transcription PCR of oral/nasal swabs.ObjectivesTo measure the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in children of healthcare workers in the UK and to characterise the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and longitudinal antibody kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 infection.MethodsMulticentre observational prospective cohort study designed to determine seroprevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in healthy children and report on symptoms experienced. Children of healthcare workers were recruited from five UK centres and underwent phlebotomy at three time points, beginning 16 April. There were follow up plasma/serum collections at two and six months after the original collection. Serum and/or plasma were tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.Results1042 potential participants were screened for inclusion, with 35 excluded. Of the 1002 included 15 were excluded from analysis due to unsuccessful phlebotomy. Of the 992 included participants at the first time point, 68 had positive SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests, giving a seroprevalence of 6.9% (95% CI 5.4% to 8.6% n=992). Belfast had a significantly lower seroprevalence than all other sites at 0.9% (95% CI 0.2% to 3.3%, n=215, p
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF