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SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has greatly affected healthcare workers because of the high risk of getting infected. The present cross-sectional study measured SARS-CoV-2 antibody in healthcare workers of Kashmir, India., Methods: Serological testing to detect antibodies against nucleocapsid protein of SARS-CoV-2 was performed in 2003 healthcare workers who voluntarily participated in the study., Results: We report relatively high seropositivity of 26.8% (95% CI 24.8-28.8) for SARS-CoV-2in healthcare workers, nine months after the first case was detected in Kashmir. Most of the healthcare workers (71.7%) attributed infection to the workplace environment. Among healthcare workers who neither reported any prior symptom nor were they ever tested for infection by nasopharyngeal swab test, 25.5% were seropositive., Conclusion: We advocate interval testing by nasopharyngeal swab test of all healthcare workers regardless of symptoms to limit the transmission of infection within healthcare settings., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exist.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) poses a tremendous challenge to healthcare systems across the globe. Serologic testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection in healthcare workers (HCWs) may quantify the rate of clinically significant exposure in an institutional setting and identify those HCWs who are at greatest risk., Methods: We conducted a survey and SARS-CoV-2 serologic testing among a convenience sample of HCWs from 79 non-COVID and 3 dedicated COVID hospitals in District Srinagar of Kashmir, India. In addition to testing for the presence of SARS-CoV-2-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG), we collected information on demographics, occupational group, influenza-like illness (ILI) symptoms, nasopharyngeal reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing status, history of close unprotected contacts, and quarantine/travel history., Results: Of 7,346 eligible HCWs, 2,915 (39.7%) participated in the study. The overall prevalence of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG antibodies was 2.5% (95% CI, 2.0%-3.1%), while HCWs who had ever worked at a dedicated COVID-19 hospital had a substantially lower seroprevalence of 0.6% (95% CI, 0.2%-1.9%). Higher seroprevalence rates were observed among HCWs who reported a recent ILI (12.2%), a positive RT-PCR (27.6%), a history of being put under quarantine (4.9%), and a history of close unprotected contact with a person with COVID-19 (4.4%). Healthcare workers who ever worked at a dedicated COVID-19 hospital had a lower multivariate-adjusted risk of seropositivity (odds ratio, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.06-0.66)., Conclusions: Our investigation suggests that infection-control practices, including a compliance-maximizing buddy system, are valuable and effective in preventing infection within a high-risk clinical setting. Universal masking, mandatory testing of patients, and residential dormitories for HCWs at COVID-19-dedicated hospitals is an effective multifaceted approach to infection control. Moreover, given that many infections among HCWs are community-acquired, it is likely that the vigilant practices in these hospitals will have spillover effects, creating ingrained behaviors that will continue outside the hospital setting.