Seroprevalence of SARS-COV-2 Antibodies in Scottish Healthcare Workers

Introduction Healthcare workers are believed to be at increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The extent of that increased risk compared to the general population and the groups most at risk have not been extensively studied.Methods A prospective observational study of health and social care workers in NHS Tayside (Scotland, UK) from May to September 2020. The Siemens SARS-CoV-2 total antibody assay was used to establish seroprevalence in this cohort. Patients provided clinical information including demographics and workplace information. Controls, matched for age and sex to the general Tayside population, were studied for comparison.Results A total of 2062 health and social care workers were recruited for this study. The participants were predominantly female (81.7 and 95.299 healthcare workers had a positive antibody test (14.5. 11 out of 231 control sera tested positive (4.8. Healthcare workers therefore had an increased likelihood of a positive test (odds ratio 3.4 95.85-6.16, plt;0.0001). Dentists, healthcare assistants and porters were the job roles most likely to test positive. Those working in front-line roles with COVID-19 patients were more likely to test positive (17.43.4 p=0.02). 97.1CoV-2 by RT-PCR had positive antibodies, compared to 11.8 healthcare workers were three times more likely to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 than the general population. The seroprevalence data in different populations identified in this study will be useful to protect healthcare staff during future waves of the pandemic.Competing Interest StatementJDC reports grants and personal fees from GlaxoSmithKline, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Astrazeneca, Pfizer, Bayer Healthcare, Grifols, Napp, Insmed and Zambon outside the submitted work; All other authors report no conflicts of interest.Clinical Trialnot a clinical trialFunding StatementNHS Tayside COVID-19 Research Fund, JDC is supported by the British Lung Foundation Chair of Respiratory Research.Author DeclarationsI confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.YesThe details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:The study was approved by the West of Scotland Research Ethics committee, approval number 20/WS/0078All necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived.YesI understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).YesI have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable.YesData are available from the corresponding author on reasonable reques