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Changing Patterns of SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence: A Snapshot among the General Population in Kuwait

Authors :
Wadha Alfouzan
Haya Altawalah
Ahmad AlSarraf
Walid Alali
Talal Al-Fadalah
Fahad Al-Ghimlas
Saud Alajmi
Mubarak Alajmi
Ebtehal AlRoomi
Ahlam Jeragh
Rita Dhar
Source :
Vaccines, Vol 11, Iss 2, p 336 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2023.

Abstract

We sought to assess pre-vaccination and post-vaccination seroprevalences of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in Kuwait and to compare antibody levels between vaccine types. In phase 1 (pre-vaccination period, n = 19,363), blood samples were collected before the launch of COVID-19 vaccination in Kuwait between 1 September and 31 December 2020. Blood samples for phase 2 (post-vaccination period, n = 4973) were collected between 1 September and 30 November 2021. We tested subjects for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies using the DiaSorin LIAISON® SARS-CoV-2 IgM and Trimeric S IgG tests. In the pre-vaccination period, the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG was 14.50% (95% CI: 14.01–15.00) and 24.89% (95% CI: 24.29–25.50), respectively. The trend of seropositivity increased with age and was higher for females and non-Kuwaiti participants (p < 0.0001). Interestingly, seroprevalence was significantly higher for those who had received one dose of BNT162b2 (95.21%) than those who had received one dose of ChAdOx1-nCov-19 (92.86%). In addition, those who reported receiving two doses had higher seroprevalence, 96.25%, 95.86%, and 94.93% for ChA-dOx1-nCov-19/AstraZeneca, mix-and-match, and BNT162b2 recipients, respectively. After the second dose, median spike-specific responses showed no significant difference between ChAdOx1-nCov-19 and BNT162b2. Furthermore, statistical analysis showed no significant difference between median anti-trimeric S antibody levels of vaccinated individuals according to sex, age, or nationality (p > 0.05). In contrast, a negative correlation between age and anti-trimeric S IgG titers of BNT162b2-vaccinated subjects was observed (r = −0.062, p = 0.0009). Antibody levels decreased with time after vaccination with both vaccines. Our findings indicate that seroprevalence was very low during the pre-vaccination period (25%) in the general population and was greater than 95% in the vaccinated population in Kuwait. Furthermore, ChAdOx1-nCov-19 and BNT162b2 are effective in generating a similar humoral response.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
2076393X
Volume :
11
Issue :
2
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Vaccines
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.33497740cba74bde9724164459253e86
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11020336