A prevalence study of COVID-19 among healthcare workers in a pandemic hospital in the Samsun province of Turkey.
Among populations globally, many healthcare workers have been disproportionally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic because of their above average exposure to people infected with SARS-CoV-2. Exposure to asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic individuals is particularly challenging, if those individuals cont...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279067 |
| _version_ | 1811177235811401728 |
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| author | Mehmet Hakan Taskin Zafer Yazici Gerald Barry |
| author_facet | Mehmet Hakan Taskin Zafer Yazici Gerald Barry |
| author_sort | Mehmet Hakan Taskin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Among populations globally, many healthcare workers have been disproportionally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic because of their above average exposure to people infected with SARS-CoV-2. Exposure to asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic individuals is particularly challenging, if those individuals continue to work, not knowing that they are potentially infectious. This study aimed to measure the level of asymptomatic infection in a cohort of workers in a healthcare setting in Turkey during the second major wave of infection in late 2020. Blood samples were collected and tested by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay for SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies. Nasal and throat swabs were performed in a subset of this cohort and RT-qPCR was used to search for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The results showed that approximately 23% of the cohort were positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM antibodies and approximately 22% were positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies despite no reported history of COVID-19 symptoms. Just less than 30% of a subset of the group were positive for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA indicating the likelihood of a current or recent infection, again despite a lack of typical COVID-19 associated symptoms. This study indicates a high rate of asymptomatic infection and highlights the need for regular testing of groups such as healthcare workers when community prevalence of disease is high and there is a desire to limit entry of virus into settings where vulnerable people may be present, because symptoms cannot be relied on as indicators of infection or infectiousness. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T22:58:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b383cd086a22425a93d60479952a0c76 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T22:58:20Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-b383cd086a22425a93d60479952a0c762023-01-14T05:31:21ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-011712e027906710.1371/journal.pone.0279067A prevalence study of COVID-19 among healthcare workers in a pandemic hospital in the Samsun province of Turkey.Mehmet Hakan TaskinZafer YaziciGerald BarryAmong populations globally, many healthcare workers have been disproportionally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic because of their above average exposure to people infected with SARS-CoV-2. Exposure to asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic individuals is particularly challenging, if those individuals continue to work, not knowing that they are potentially infectious. This study aimed to measure the level of asymptomatic infection in a cohort of workers in a healthcare setting in Turkey during the second major wave of infection in late 2020. Blood samples were collected and tested by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay for SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies. Nasal and throat swabs were performed in a subset of this cohort and RT-qPCR was used to search for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The results showed that approximately 23% of the cohort were positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM antibodies and approximately 22% were positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies despite no reported history of COVID-19 symptoms. Just less than 30% of a subset of the group were positive for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA indicating the likelihood of a current or recent infection, again despite a lack of typical COVID-19 associated symptoms. This study indicates a high rate of asymptomatic infection and highlights the need for regular testing of groups such as healthcare workers when community prevalence of disease is high and there is a desire to limit entry of virus into settings where vulnerable people may be present, because symptoms cannot be relied on as indicators of infection or infectiousness.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279067 |
| spellingShingle | Mehmet Hakan Taskin Zafer Yazici Gerald Barry A prevalence study of COVID-19 among healthcare workers in a pandemic hospital in the Samsun province of Turkey. PLoS ONE |
| title | A prevalence study of COVID-19 among healthcare workers in a pandemic hospital in the Samsun province of Turkey. |
| title_full | A prevalence study of COVID-19 among healthcare workers in a pandemic hospital in the Samsun province of Turkey. |
| title_fullStr | A prevalence study of COVID-19 among healthcare workers in a pandemic hospital in the Samsun province of Turkey. |
| title_full_unstemmed | A prevalence study of COVID-19 among healthcare workers in a pandemic hospital in the Samsun province of Turkey. |
| title_short | A prevalence study of COVID-19 among healthcare workers in a pandemic hospital in the Samsun province of Turkey. |
| title_sort | prevalence study of covid 19 among healthcare workers in a pandemic hospital in the samsun province of turkey |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279067 |
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