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Schrempft S, Baysson H, Graindorge C, Pullen N, Hagose M, Zaballa ME, Preisig M, Nehme M, Guessous I, Stringhini S. Biopsychosocial risk factors for subjective cognitive decline among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: a population-based study. Public Health 2024; 234:16-23. [PMID: 38924819 DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2024.05.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES There have been concerns that the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures used to contain it impacted the cognitive health of older adults. We therefore examined the prevalence of subjective cognitive decline, and its associated risk factors and health consequencs, among dementia-free older adults 2 years into the pandemic in Switzerland. STUDY DESIGN Population-based cohort study. METHODS Prevalence of SCD was estimated using the cognitive complaint questionnaire administered to adults aged ≥65 years in June-September 2022 (Specchio-COVID19 cohort, N = 1414), and compared to prepandemic values from 2014 to 2018 (CoLaus|PsyCoLaus cohort, N = 1181). Associated risk factors and health consequences were assessed using logistic and/or linear regression. RESULTS Prevalence of SCD in 2022 (18.9% [95% CI, 16.2-21.9]) was comparable to prepandemic levels in 2014-2018 (19.5% [17.2-22.1]). Risk factors included established risks for dementia-namely health issues, health behaviours, and depressive symptoms. Self-reported post-COVID, perceived worsening of mental health since the start of the pandemic, less frequent social club attendance, and increased loneliness were also risk factors for SCD. In turn, SCD was associated with poorer objective cognitive performance, difficulty performing instrumental activities of daily living, greater risk of falls, and lower well-being at one-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS While the overall prevalence of SCD in 2022 was comparable to prepandemic levels, we identified several pandemic-related risk factors for SCD, including perceived worsening of mental health and increased isolation since the start of the pandemic. These findings highlight the importance of mental health promotion strategies in reducing cognitive complaints and preventing cognitive decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Schrempft
- Division of Primary Care Medicine, Unit of Population Epidemiology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - H Baysson
- Division of Primary Care Medicine, Unit of Population Epidemiology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - C Graindorge
- Division of Primary Care Medicine, Unit of Population Epidemiology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - N Pullen
- Division of Primary Care Medicine, Unit of Population Epidemiology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - M Hagose
- Division of Primary Care Medicine, Unit of Population Epidemiology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - M-E Zaballa
- Division of Primary Care Medicine, Unit of Population Epidemiology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - M Preisig
- Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - M Nehme
- Division of Primary Care Medicine, Unit of Population Epidemiology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland; Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - I Guessous
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - S Stringhini
- Division of Primary Care Medicine, Unit of Population Epidemiology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland; University Centre for General Medicine and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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2
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Schrempft S, Pullen N, Baysson H, Zaballa ME, Lamour J, Lorthe E, Nehme M, Guessous I, Stringhini S. Mental health trajectories among the general population and higher-risk groups following the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland, 2021-2023. J Affect Disord 2024; 359:277-286. [PMID: 38772508 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.05.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mental health deteriorated in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, but improved relatively quickly as restrictions were eased, suggesting overall resilience. However, longer-term follow-up of mental health in the general population is scarce. METHODS We examined mental health trajectories in 5624 adults (58 % women; aged 18-97 years) from the Specchio-COVID19 cohort, using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale-2 and the Patient Health Questionnaire-2, administered each month from February to June 2021, and in Spring 2022 and 2023. RESULTS Depressive and anxiety symptoms declined during a pandemic wave from February to May 2021 (β = -0.06 [-0.07, -0.06]; -0.06 [-0.07, -0.05]), and remained lower at longer-term follow-up than at the start of the wave. Loneliness also declined over time, with the greatest decline during the pandemic wave (β = -0.25 [-0.26, -0.24]). Many higher-risk groups, including socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals, those with a chronic condition, and those living alone had poorer mental health levels throughout the study period. Women and younger individuals had a faster improvement in mental health during the pandemic wave. Loneliness trajectories were associated with mental health trajectories throughout the study period. LIMITATIONS We cannot definitively conclude that the observed changes in mental health were due to experiences of the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS While there was a need for additional mental health support during stricter policy responses to COVID-19, overall, mental health improved relatively soon after measures were eased. Nevertheless, the persistence of mental health disparities highlights the need for further efforts from the government and healthcare practitioners to support vulnerable groups beyond the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Schrempft
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Nick Pullen
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Hélène Baysson
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - María-Eugenia Zaballa
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Julien Lamour
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Elsa Lorthe
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland; Université Paris Cité, Inserm, INRAE, Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Statistics Paris (CRESS), Paris, France
| | - Mayssam Nehme
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland; Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Idris Guessous
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Stringhini
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland; School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; University Centre for General Medicine and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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3
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Nehme M, Schrempft S, Baysson H, Pullen N, Rouzinov S, Stringhini S, Guessous I. Associations Between Healthy Behaviors and Persistently Favorable Self-Rated Health in a Longitudinal Population-Based Study in Switzerland. J Gen Intern Med 2024; 39:1828-1838. [PMID: 38528233 PMCID: PMC11282021 DOI: 10.1007/s11606-024-08739-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Self-rated health is a subjective yet valuable indicator of overall health status, influenced by various factors including physical, psychological, and socio-economic elements. Self-rated health could be telling and used by primary care physicians to evaluate overall present and predictive health. DESIGN This study investigates the longitudinal evolution of self-rated health in Switzerland during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the association of persistently favorable self-rated health with various predictors. PARTICIPANTS This study based on the Specchio cohort, a population-based digital study in Geneva Switzerland, involved participants completing questionnaires from 2021 to 2023. MAIN MEASURES Self-rated health was assessed alongside factors like physical and mental health, socio-economic status, and lifestyle behaviors. KEY RESULTS The study included 7006 participants in 2021, and 3888 participants who answered all three follow-ups (2021, 2022, and 2023). At baseline, 34.9% of individuals reported very good, 54.6% reported good, 9.6% reported average, and 1.0% reported poor to very poor self-rated health. Overall, 29.1% had a worsening in their self-rated health between 2021 and 2023. A subset of participants (12.1%) maintained very good self-rated health throughout, demonstrating persistently favorable self-rated health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Positive health behaviors were associated with persistently favorable self-rated health (exercise aOR 1.13 [1.03-1.24]; healthy diet aOR 2.14 [1.70-2.68]; less screen time aOR 1.28 [1.03-1.58]; and better sleep quality aOR 2.48 [2.02-3.04]). Mental health and social support also played significant roles. CONCLUSION The study underscores the significance of healthy lifestyle choices and social support in maintaining favorable self-rated health, particularly during challenging times like the COVID-19 pandemic. Primary care physicians should focus on promoting these factors, integrating these actions in their routine consultations, and advising patients to undertake in socially engaging activities to improve overall health perceptions and outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayssam Nehme
- Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Stephanie Schrempft
- Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Helene Baysson
- Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Nick Pullen
- Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Serguei Rouzinov
- Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Stringhini
- Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- University Center for General Medicine and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- School of Population and Public Health and Edwin S.H, Leong Centre for Healthy Aging, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Idris Guessous
- Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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Bekliz M. One-year Longitudinal Study of Antibody Profiles in Children: MIS-C Versus Children With Uncomplicated COVID-19. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2024; 43:e189-e191. [PMID: 38306593 PMCID: PMC11003401 DOI: 10.1097/inf.0000000000004261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Meriem Bekliz
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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5
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Dumont R, Lorthe E, Richard V, Loizeau A, Fernandez G, De Ridder D, Pennacchio F, Lamour J, Zaballa ME, Baysson H, Posfay-Barbe KM, Barbe RP, Stringhini S, Guessous I. Prevalence of and risk factors for suicidal ideation in adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study. Swiss Med Wkly 2024; 154:3461. [PMID: 38679958 DOI: 10.57187/s.3461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Pandemic-related life changes may have had a deleterious impact on suicidal behaviours. Early detection of suicidal ideation and identification of subgroups at increased risk could help prevent suicide, one of the leading causes of death among adolescents worldwide. Here, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of and risk factors for suicidal ideation in adolescents using a population-based sample from Switzerland, two years into the pandemic. METHODS Between December 2021 and June 2022, adolescents aged 14 to 17 years already enrolled in a population-based cohort study (State of Geneva, Switzerland) were asked about suicidal ideation over the previous year. In addition to a regression model, we conducted a network analysis of exposures which identified direct and indirect risk factors for suicidal ideation (i.e. those connected through intermediate risk factors) using mixed graphical models. RESULTS Among 492 adolescents, 14.4% (95% CI: 11.5-17.8) declared having experienced suicidal ideation over the previous year. Using network analysis, we found that high psychological distress, low self-esteem, identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual, suffering from bullying, extensive screen time and a severe COVID-19 pandemic impact were major risk factors for suicidal ideation, with parent-adolescent relationship having the highest centrality strength in the network. CONCLUSION Our results show that a significant proportion of adolescents experience suicidal ideation, yet these rates are comparable with pre-pandemic results. Providing psychological support is fundamental, with a focus on improving parent-adolescent relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roxane Dumont
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Elsa Lorthe
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Viviane Richard
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Loizeau
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Guillaume Fernandez
- Institute of Sociological Research, Faculty of Sociology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - David De Ridder
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Laboratory of Geographic Information Systems, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Group of Geographic Information Research and Analysis in Population Health, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Francesco Pennacchio
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Julien Lamour
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - María-Eugenia Zaballa
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Helene Baysson
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Klara M Posfay-Barbe
- Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Woman, Child, and Adolescent Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Pediatrics, Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Remy P Barbe
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Woman, Child, and Adolescent Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Stringhini
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- University Center for General Medicine and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Idris Guessous
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division and Department of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
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6
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Bouman JA, Hauser A, Grimm SL, Wohlfender M, Bhatt S, Semenova E, Gelman A, Althaus CL, Riou J. Bayesian workflow for time-varying transmission in stratified compartmental infectious disease transmission models. PLoS Comput Biol 2024; 20:e1011575. [PMID: 38683878 PMCID: PMC11081492 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Compartmental models that describe infectious disease transmission across subpopulations are central for assessing the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions, behavioral changes and seasonal effects on the spread of respiratory infections. We present a Bayesian workflow for such models, including four features: (1) an adjustment for incomplete case ascertainment, (2) an adequate sampling distribution of laboratory-confirmed cases, (3) a flexible, time-varying transmission rate, and (4) a stratification by age group. Within the workflow, we benchmarked the performance of various implementations of two of these features (2 and 3). For the second feature, we used SARS-CoV-2 data from the canton of Geneva (Switzerland) and found that a quasi-Poisson distribution is the most suitable sampling distribution for describing the overdispersion in the observed laboratory-confirmed cases. For the third feature, we implemented three methods: Brownian motion, B-splines, and approximate Gaussian processes (aGP). We compared their performance in terms of the number of effective samples per second, and the error and sharpness in estimating the time-varying transmission rate over a selection of ordinary differential equation solvers and tuning parameters, using simulated seroprevalence and laboratory-confirmed case data. Even though all methods could recover the time-varying dynamics in the transmission rate accurately, we found that B-splines perform up to four and ten times faster than Brownian motion and aGPs, respectively. We validated the B-spline model with simulated age-stratified data. We applied this model to 2020 laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases and two seroprevalence studies from the canton of Geneva. This resulted in detailed estimates of the transmission rate over time and the case ascertainment. Our results illustrate the potential of the presented workflow including stratified transmission to estimate age-specific epidemiological parameters. The workflow is freely available in the R package HETTMO, and can be easily adapted and applied to other infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith A. Bouman
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Multidisciplinary Center for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Anthony Hauser
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale Sorbonne Université (INSERM), Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Simon L. Grimm
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Center for Space and Habitability, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Martin Wohlfender
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Multidisciplinary Center for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Samir Bhatt
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Elizaveta Semenova
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Gelman
- Department of Statistics, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Political Science, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Christian L. Althaus
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Multidisciplinary Center for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Julien Riou
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Systems, Unisanté, Center for Primary Care and Public Health & University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Frei A, Kaufmann M, Amati R, Butty Dettwiler A, von Wyl V, Annoni AM, Vincentini J, Pellaton C, Pantaleo G, Fehr JS, D'Acremont V, Bochud M, Albanese E, Puhan MA. Development of hybrid immunity during a period of high incidence of Omicron infections. Int J Epidemiol 2023; 52:1696-1707. [PMID: 37407273 PMCID: PMC10749742 DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyad098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Seroprevalence and the proportion of people with neutralizing activity (functional immunity) against SARS-CoV-2 variants were high in early 2022. In this prospective, population- based, multi-region cohort study, we assessed the development of functional and hybrid immunity (induced by vaccination and infection) in the general population during this period of high incidence of infections with Omicron variants. METHODS We randomly selected and assessed individuals aged ≥16 years from the general population in southern (n = 739) and north-eastern (n = 964) Switzerland in March 2022. We assessed them again in June/July 2022, supplemented with a random sample from western (n = 850) Switzerland. We measured SARS-CoV-2 specific IgG antibodies and SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies against three variants (ancestral strain, Delta, Omicron). RESULTS Seroprevalence remained stable from March 2022 (97.6%, n = 1894) to June/July 2022 (98.4%, n = 2553). In June/July, the percentage of individuals with neutralizing capacity against ancestral strain was 94.2%, against Delta 90.8% and against Omicron 84.9%, and 50.6% developed hybrid immunity. Individuals with hybrid immunity had highest median levels of anti-spike IgG antibodies titres [4518 World Health Organization units per millilitre (WHO U/mL)] compared with those with only vaccine- (4304 WHO U/mL) or infection- (269 WHO U/mL) induced immunity, and highest neutralization capacity against ancestral strain (hybrid: 99.8%, vaccinated: 98%, infected: 47.5%), Delta (hybrid: 99%, vaccinated: 92.2%, infected: 38.7%) and Omicron (hybrid: 96.4%, vaccinated: 79.5%, infected: 47.5%). CONCLUSIONS This first study on functional and hybrid immunity in the Swiss general population after Omicron waves showed that SARS-CoV-2 has become endemic. The high levels of antibodies and neutralization support the emerging recommendations of some countries where booster vaccinations are still strongly recommended for vulnerable persons but less so for the general population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Frei
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marco Kaufmann
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Rebecca Amati
- Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Audrey Butty Dettwiler
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Systems, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), Lausanne University, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Viktor von Wyl
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care, University Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anna Maria Annoni
- Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Julia Vincentini
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Systems, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), Lausanne University, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Céline Pellaton
- Service of Immunology and Allergy, Lausanne University Hospital, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Giuseppe Pantaleo
- Service of Immunology and Allergy, Lausanne University Hospital, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jan S Fehr
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Valérie D'Acremont
- Department of Research and Innovation, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), Lausanne University, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Murielle Bochud
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Systems, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), Lausanne University, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Emiliano Albanese
- Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Milo A Puhan
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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8
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Mongin D, Bürgisser N, Laurie G, Schimmel G, Vu DL, Cullati S, Courvoisier DS. Effect of SARS-CoV-2 prior infection and mRNA vaccination on contagiousness and susceptibility to infection. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5452. [PMID: 37673865 PMCID: PMC10482859 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41109-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The immunity conferred by SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and infections reduces the transmission of the virus. To answer how the effect of immunity is shared between a reduction of infectiousness and an increased protection against infection, we examined >50,000 positive cases and >110,000 contacts from Geneva, Switzerland (June 2020 to March 2022). We assessed the association between secondary attack rate (i.e. proportion of new cases among contacts) and immunity from natural infection and/or vaccination, stratifying per four SARS-CoV-2 variants and adjusting for index cases and contacts' socio-demographic characteristics and the propensity of the contacts to be tested. Here we show that immunity protected contacts from infection, rather than reducing infectiousness of index cases. Natural infection conferred the strongest immunity. Hybrid immunity did not surpass recent infection. Although of smaller amplitude, the reduction in infectiousness due to vaccination was less affected by time and by the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants than the susceptibility to infection. These findings support the role of vaccine in reducing infectiousness and underscore the complementary role of interventions reducing SARS-CoV-2 propagation, such as mask use or indoor ventilation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Mongin
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Nils Bürgisser
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- General internal medicine division, Department of Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Gustavo Laurie
- Division of General cantonal physician, Geneva Directorate of Health, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Guillaume Schimmel
- Division of General cantonal physician, Geneva Directorate of Health, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Diem-Lan Vu
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division of General cantonal physician, Geneva Directorate of Health, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Laboratory of Virology, Division of Laboratory Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Stephane Cullati
- Division Quality of care, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Population Health Laboratory (#PopHealthLab), Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Delphine Sophie Courvoisier
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division Quality of care, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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9
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Lorthe E, Richard V, Dumont R, Loizeau A, Perez-Saez J, Baysson H, Zaballa ME, Lamour J, Pullen N, Schrempft S, Barbe RP, Posfay-Barbe KM, Guessous I, Stringhini S. Socioeconomic conditions and children's mental health and quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic: An intersectional analysis. SSM Popul Health 2023; 23:101472. [PMID: 37560087 PMCID: PMC10407575 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Children and adolescents are highly vulnerable to the impact of sustained stressors during developmentally sensitive times. We investigated how demographic characteristics intersect with socioeconomic dimensions to shape the social patterning of quality of life and mental health in children and adolescents, two years into the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS We used data from the prospective SEROCoV-KIDS cohort study of children and adolescents living in Geneva (Switzerland, 2022). We conducted an intersectional Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy by nesting participants within 48 social strata defined by intersecting sex, age, immigrant background, parental education and financial hardship in Bayesian multilevel logistic models for poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL, measured with PedsQL) and mental health difficulties (measured with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire). RESULTS Among participants aged 2-17 years, 240/2096 (11.5%, 95%CI 10.1-12.9) had poor HRQoL and 105/2135 (4.9%, 95%CI 4.0-5.9) had mental health difficulties. The predicted proportion of poor HRQoL ranged from 3.4% for 6-11 years old Swiss girls with highly educated parents and no financial hardship to 34.6% for 12-17 years old non-Swiss girls with highly educated parents and financial hardship. Intersectional strata involving adolescents and financial hardship showed substantially worse HRQoL than their counterparts. Between-stratum variations in the predicted frequency of mental health difficulties were limited (range 4.4%-6.5%). CONCLUSIONS We found considerable differences in adverse outcomes across social strata. Our results suggest that, post-pandemic, interventions to address social inequities in HRQoL should focus on specific intersectional strata involving adolescents and families experiencing financial hardship, while those aiming to improve mental health should target all children and adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elsa Lorthe
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Université Paris Cité, Inserm, INRAE, Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Statistics Paris (CRESS), Paris, France
| | - Viviane Richard
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Roxane Dumont
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Loizeau
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Javier Perez-Saez
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA
| | - Hélène Baysson
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Maria-Eugenia Zaballa
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Julien Lamour
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Nick Pullen
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Stephanie Schrempft
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Rémy P. Barbe
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Woman, Child, and Adolescent Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Klara M. Posfay-Barbe
- Department of Woman, Child, and Adolescent Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Pediatrics, Gynecology & Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Idris Guessous
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Stringhini
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- University Center for General Medicine and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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10
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Reichmuth ML, Hodcroft EB, Althaus CL. Importation of Alpha and Delta variants during the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Switzerland: Phylogenetic analysis and intervention scenarios. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011553. [PMID: 37561788 PMCID: PMC10443857 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has led to the emergence of various variants of concern (VoCs) that are associated with increased transmissibility, immune evasion, or differences in disease severity. The emergence of VoCs fueled interest in understanding the potential impact of travel restrictions and surveillance strategies to prevent or delay the early spread of VoCs. We performed phylogenetic analyses and mathematical modeling to study the importation and spread of the VoCs Alpha and Delta in Switzerland in 2020 and 2021. Using a phylogenetic approach, we estimated between 383-1,038 imports of Alpha and 455-1,347 imports of Delta into Switzerland. We then used the results from the phylogenetic analysis to parameterize a dynamic transmission model that accurately described the subsequent spread of Alpha and Delta. We modeled different counterfactual intervention scenarios to quantify the potential impact of border closures and surveillance of travelers on the spread of Alpha and Delta. We found that implementing border closures after the announcement of VoCs would have been of limited impact to mitigate the spread of VoCs. In contrast, increased surveillance of travelers could prove to be an effective measure for delaying the spread of VoCs in situations where their severity remains unclear. Our study shows how phylogenetic analysis in combination with dynamic transmission models can be used to estimate the number of imported SARS-CoV-2 variants and the potential impact of different intervention scenarios to inform the public health response during the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina L. Reichmuth
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Emma B. Hodcroft
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Multidisciplinary Center for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Christian L. Althaus
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Multidisciplinary Center for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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11
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Perez-Saez J, Zaballa ME, Lamour J, Yerly S, Dubos R, Courvoisier DS, Villers J, Balavoine JF, Pittet D, Kherad O, Vuilleumier N, Kaiser L, Guessous I, Stringhini S, Azman AS. Long term anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody kinetics and correlate of protection against Omicron BA.1/BA.2 infection. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3032. [PMID: 37230973 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38744-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Binding antibody levels against SARS-CoV-2 have shown to be correlates of protection against infection with pre-Omicron lineages. This has been challenged by the emergence of immune-evasive variants, notably the Omicron sublineages, in an evolving immune landscape with high levels of cumulative incidence and vaccination coverage. This in turn limits the use of widely available commercial high-throughput methods to quantify binding antibodies as a tool to monitor protection at the population-level. Here we show that anti-Spike RBD antibody levels, as quantified by the immunoassay used in this study, are an indirect correlate of protection against Omicron BA.1/BA.2 for individuals previously infected by SARS-CoV-2. Leveraging repeated serological measurements between April 2020 and December 2021 on 1083 participants of a population-based cohort in Geneva, Switzerland, and using antibody kinetic modeling, we found up to a three-fold reduction in the hazard of having a documented positive SARS-CoV-2 infection during the Omicron BA.1/BA.2 wave for anti-S antibody levels above 800 IU/mL (HR 0.30, 95% CI 0.22-0.41). However, we did not detect a reduction in hazard among uninfected participants. These results provide reassuring insights into the continued interpretation of SARS-CoV-2 binding antibody measurements as an independent marker of protection at both the individual and population levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Perez-Saez
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - María-Eugenia Zaballa
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Julien Lamour
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sabine Yerly
- Division of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Diagnostics, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Richard Dubos
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Delphine S Courvoisier
- General Directorate of Health, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division of Quality of Care, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Jennifer Villers
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Didier Pittet
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Infection Control Program and World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Omar Kherad
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division of Internal Medicine, Hôpital de la Tour, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Vuilleumier
- Division of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Diagnostics, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Laurent Kaiser
- Division of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Diagnostics, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Geneva Centre for Emerging Viral Diseases, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Idris Guessous
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division and Department of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Stringhini
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- University Centre for General Medicine and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Andrew S Azman
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
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12
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Baysson H, Pullen N, De Mestral C, Semaani C, Pennacchio F, Zaballa ME, L'Huillier AG, Lorthe E, Guessous I, Stringhini S. Parental willingness to have children vaccinated against COVID-19 in Geneva, Switzerland: a cross-sectional population-based study. Swiss Med Wkly 2023; 153:40049. [PMID: 37011595 DOI: 10.57187/smw.2023.40049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We aimed to examine factors associated with parental willingness to vaccinate their children against COVID-19. METHODS We surveyed adults included in a digital longitudinal cohort study composed of participants in previous SARS-CoV-2 serosurveys conducted in Geneva, Switzerland. In February 2022, an online questionnaire collected information on COVID-19 vaccination acceptance, parental willingness to vaccinate their children aged ≥5 years and reasons for vaccination preference. We used multivariable logistic regression to assess the demographic, socioeconomic and health-related factors associated with being vaccinated and with parental intention to vaccinate their children. RESULTS We included 1,383 participants (56.8% women; 69.3% aged 35-49 years). Parental willingness to vaccinate their children increased markedly with the child's age: 84.0%, 60.9% and 21.2%, respectively, for parents of adolescents aged 16-17 years, 12-15 years and 5-12 years. For all child age groups, unvaccinated parents more frequently indicated not intending to vaccinate their children than vaccinated parents. Refusal to vaccine children was associated with having a secondary education (1.73; 1.18-2.47) relative to a tertiary education and with middle (1.75; 1.18-2.60) and low (1.96; 1.20-3.22) household income relative to high income. Refusal to vaccine their children was also associated with only having children aged 12-15 years (3.08; 1.61-5.91), aged 5-11 years (19.77; 10.27-38.05), or in multiple age groups (6.05; 3.22-11.37), relative to only having children aged 16-17 years. CONCLUSION Willingness to vaccinate children was high for parents of adolescents aged 16-17 years but decreased significantly with decreasing child age. Unvaccinated, socioeconomically disadvantaged parents and those with younger children were less likely to be willing to vaccinate their children. These results are important for vaccination programs and developing communication strategies to reach vaccine-hesitant groups, both in the context of COVID-19 and in the prevention of other diseases and future pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hélène Baysson
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Nick Pullen
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Carlos De Mestral
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Claire Semaani
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Francesco Pennacchio
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - María-Eugenia Zaballa
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Arnaud G L'Huillier
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases Unit, Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Elsa Lorthe
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Idris Guessous
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division and Department of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Stringhini
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- University Center for General Medicine and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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13
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Amati R, Piumatti G, Franscella G, Buttaroni P, Camerini AL, Corna L, Levati S, Fadda M, Fiordelli M, Annoni AM, Bezani K, Amendola A, Fragoso Corti C, Sabatini S, Kaufmann M, Frei A, Puhan MA, Crivelli L, Albanese E. Trajectories of Seroprevalence and Neutralizing Activity of Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in Southern Switzerland between July 2020 and July 2021: An Ongoing, Prospective Population-Based Cohort Study. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:3703. [PMID: 36834397 PMCID: PMC9964112 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20043703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The COVID-19 pandemic continues, and evidence on infection- and vaccine-induced immunity is key. We assessed COVID-19 immunity and the neutralizing antibody response to virus variants across age groups in the Swiss population. STUDY DESIGN We conducted a cohort study in representative community-dwelling residents aged five years or older in southern Switzerland (total population 353,343), and we collected blood samples in July 2020 (in adults only, N = 646), November-December 2020 (N = 1457), and June-July 2021 (N = 885). METHODS We used a previously validated Luminex assay to measure antibodies targeting the spike (S) and the nucleocapsid (N) proteins of the virus and a high-throughput cell-free neutralization assay optimized for multiple spike protein variants. We calculated seroprevalence with a Bayesian logistic regression model accounting for the population's sociodemographic structure and the test performance, and we compared the neutralizing activity between vaccinated and convalescent participants across virus variants. RESULTS The overall seroprevalence was 7.8% (95% CI: 5.4-10.4) by July 2020 and 20.2% (16.4-24.4) by December 2020. By July 2021, the overall seroprevalence increased substantially to 72.5% (69.1-76.4), with the highest estimates of 95.6% (92.8-97.8) among older adults, who developed up to 10.3 more antibodies via vaccination than after infection compared to 3.7 times more in adults. The neutralizing activity was significantly higher for vaccine-induced than infection-induced antibodies for all virus variants (all p values < 0.037). CONCLUSIONS Vaccination chiefly contributed to the reduction in immunonaive individuals, particularly those in older age groups. Our findings on the greater neutralizing activity of vaccine-induced antibodies than infection-induced antibodies are greatly informative for future vaccination campaigns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Amati
- Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland
| | | | - Giovanni Franscella
- Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Peter Buttaroni
- Faculty of Informatics, Università della Svizzera italiana, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Anne-Linda Camerini
- Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Laurie Corna
- Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, 6928 Manno, Switzerland
| | - Sara Levati
- Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, 6928 Manno, Switzerland
| | - Marta Fadda
- Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Maddalena Fiordelli
- Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Lucerne, 6002 Lucerne, Switzerland
| | - Anna Maria Annoni
- Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Kleona Bezani
- Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Antonio Amendola
- Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, 6928 Manno, Switzerland
| | - Cristina Fragoso Corti
- Institute of Microbiology, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, 6501 Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Serena Sabatini
- Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Marco Kaufmann
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anja Frei
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Milo Alan Puhan
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Luca Crivelli
- Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland
- Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, 6928 Manno, Switzerland
| | - Emiliano Albanese
- Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland
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14
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Schrempft S, Pullen N, Baysson H, Wisniak A, Zaballa ME, Pennacchio F, Vollenweider P, Marques-Vidal P, Preisig M, Guessous I, Stringhini S, Arm-Vernez I, Azman AS, Ba F, Bachmann D, Bal A, Balavoine JF, Balavoine M, Barbe RP, Baysson H, Beigbeder L, Berthelot J, Bleich P, Boehm L, Bryand G, Bucolli V, Chappuis F, Collombet P, Courvoisier D, Cudet A, Davidovic V, de Mestral Vargas C, D'ippolito P, Dubos R, Dumont R, Eckerle I, El Merjani N, Flahault A, Francioli N, Frangville M, Graindorge C, Guessous I, Harnal S, Hurst S, Kaiser L, Kherad O, Lamour J, Lescuyer P, L'Huissier F, Lombard FB, Loizeau AJ, Lorthe E, Martinez C, Ménard L, Menon L, Metral-Boffod L, Meyer B, Moulin A, Nehme M, Noël N, Pennacchio F, Perez-Saez J, Pittet D, Portier J, Posfay-Barbe KM, Poulain G, Pugin C, Pullen N, Randrianandrasana ZF, Richard V, Rinaldi F, Rizzo J, Rochat D, Sakvarelidze I, Samir K, Santa Ramirez HA, Schrempft S, Semaani C, Stringhini S, Testini S, Rivas DU, Verolet C, Villers J, Violot G, Vuilleumier N, Wisniak A, Yerly S, Zaballa ME. Prevalence and predictors of psychological distress before, during, and after a COVID-19 pandemic wave in Switzerland, 2021. J Psychiatr Res 2023; 158:192-201. [PMID: 36592533 PMCID: PMC9794129 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.12.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
There are concerns about acute and long-term mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined the prevalence and predictors of psychological distress before, during, and after a pandemic wave in Switzerland, 2021. Prevalence of psychological distress was estimated in adults aged 35-96 years using the General Health Questionnaire-12 administered in June 2021 (Specchio-COVID19 cohort, N = 3965), and compared to values from 2003 to 2006 (CoLaus|PsyCoLaus cohort, N = 5667). Anxiety and depression were assessed from February to June 2021 using the Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale-2 and the Patient Health Questionnaire-2, respectively. Prevalence of psychological distress in June 2021, after the pandemic wave (16.0% [95% CI, 14.6%-17.4%]) was comparable to pre-pandemic levels (15.1% [14.0%-16.2%]). Anxiety and depression were highest at the start of the pandemic wave in February 2021, and declined from February to June with the relaxation of measures. Predictors of psychological distress included being younger, female, a single parent, unemployed, a change in working hours or job loss in the past 6 months, greater perceived severity and contagiousness of COVID-19, and self-reported post COVID-19. By June 2021, following a pandemic wave, prevalence of psychological distress in Switzerland was closer to pre-pandemic levels. These findings highlight the need for additional mental health support during times of stricter government policies relating to COVID-19; yet they also suggest that individuals can adapt relatively quickly to the changing context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Schrempft
- Division of Primary Care, Unit of Population Epidemiology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Nick Pullen
- Division of Primary Care, Unit of Population Epidemiology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Hélène Baysson
- Division of Primary Care, Unit of Population Epidemiology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ania Wisniak
- Division of Primary Care, Unit of Population Epidemiology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - María-Eugenia Zaballa
- Division of Primary Care, Unit of Population Epidemiology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Francesco Pennacchio
- Division of Primary Care, Unit of Population Epidemiology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Peter Vollenweider
- Department of Medicine, Internal Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pedro Marques-Vidal
- Department of Medicine, Internal Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Martin Preisig
- Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Idris Guessous
- Division of Primary Care, Unit of Population Epidemiology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Stringhini
- Division of Primary Care, Unit of Population Epidemiology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland; Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; University Centre for General Medicine and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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15
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Zaballa ME, Perez-Saez J, de Mestral C, Pullen N, Lamour J, Turelli P, Raclot C, Baysson H, Pennacchio F, Villers J, Duc J, Richard V, Dumont R, Semaani C, Loizeau AJ, Graindorge C, Lorthe E, Balavoine JF, Pittet D, Schibler M, Vuilleumier N, Chappuis F, Kherad O, Azman AS, Posfay-Barbe KM, Kaiser L, Trono D, Stringhini S, Guessous I. Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and cross-variant neutralization capacity after the Omicron BA.2 wave in Geneva, Switzerland: a population-based study. THE LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH. EUROPE 2023; 24:100547. [PMID: 36474728 PMCID: PMC9714630 DOI: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2022.100547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Background More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the population has developed anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies from infection and/or vaccination. However, public health decision-making is hindered by the lack of up-to-date and precise characterization of the immune landscape in the population. Here, we estimated anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies seroprevalence and cross-variant neutralization capacity after Omicron became dominant in Geneva, Switzerland. Methods We conducted a population-based serosurvey between April 29 and June 9, 2022, recruiting children and adults of all ages from age-stratified random samples of the general population of Geneva, Switzerland. We tested for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies using commercial immunoassays targeting either the spike (S) or nucleocapsid (N) protein, and for antibody neutralization capacity against different SARS-CoV-2 variants using a cell-free Spike trimer-ACE2 binding-based surrogate neutralization assay. We estimated seroprevalence and neutralization capacity using a Bayesian modeling framework accounting for the demographics, vaccination, and infection statuses of the Geneva population. Findings Among the 2521 individuals included in the analysis, the estimated total antibodies seroprevalence was 93.8% (95% CrI 93.1-94.5), including 72.4% (70.0-74.7) for infection-induced antibodies. Estimates of neutralizing antibodies in a representative subsample (N = 1160) ranged from 79.5% (77.1-81.8) against the Alpha variant to 46.7% (43.0-50.4) against the Omicron BA.4/BA.5 subvariants. Despite having high seroprevalence of infection-induced antibodies (76.7% [69.7-83.0] for ages 0-5 years, 90.5% [86.5-94.1] for ages 6-11 years), children aged <12 years had substantially lower neutralizing activity than older participants, particularly against Omicron subvariants. Overall, vaccination was associated with higher neutralizing activity against pre-Omicron variants. Vaccine booster alongside recent infection was associated with higher neutralizing activity against Omicron subvariants. Interpretation While most of the Geneva population has developed anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies through vaccination and/or infection, less than half has neutralizing activity against the currently circulating Omicron BA.5 subvariant. Hybrid immunity obtained through booster vaccination and infection confers the greatest neutralization capacity, including against Omicron. Funding General Directorate of Health in Geneva canton, Private Foundation of the Geneva University Hospitals, European Commission ("CoVICIS" grant), and a private foundation advised by CARIGEST SA.
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Affiliation(s)
- María-Eugenia Zaballa
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Javier Perez-Saez
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland,Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Carlos de Mestral
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland,University Centre for General Medicine and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nick Pullen
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Julien Lamour
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Priscilla Turelli
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Charlène Raclot
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Hélène Baysson
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland,Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Francesco Pennacchio
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Jennifer Villers
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Julien Duc
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Viviane Richard
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Roxane Dumont
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Claire Semaani
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Jutta Loizeau
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Clément Graindorge
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Elsa Lorthe
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Didier Pittet
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland,Infection Control Program and World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Manuel Schibler
- Division of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Diagnostics, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Vuilleumier
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland,Division of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Diagnostics, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - François Chappuis
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland,Division and Department of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Omar Kherad
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland,Division of Internal Medicine, Hôpital de la Tour, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Andrew S. Azman
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland,Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Klara M. Posfay-Barbe
- Department of Woman, Child, and Adolescent Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland,Department of Pediatrics, Gynecology & Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Laurent Kaiser
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland,Division of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Diagnostics, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland,Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland,Geneva Centre for Emerging Viral Diseases, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Didier Trono
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Stringhini
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland,University Centre for General Medicine and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland,Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland,Corresponding author. Division of Primary Care, Geneva University Hospitals, 1205, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Idris Guessous
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland,Division and Department of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
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16
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Dumont R, Richard V, Lorthe E, Loizeau A, Pennacchio F, Zaballa ME, Baysson H, Nehme M, Perrin A, L'Huillier AG, Kaiser L, Barbe RP, Posfay-Barbe KM, Stringhini S, Guessous I. A population-based serological study of post-COVID syndrome prevalence and risk factors in children and adolescents. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7086. [PMID: 36446760 PMCID: PMC9708639 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34616-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-COVID syndrome remains poorly studied in children and adolescents. Here, we aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of pediatric post-COVID in a population-based sample, stratifying by serological status. Children from the SEROCoV-KIDS cohort study (State of Geneva, Switzerland), aged 6 months to 17 years, were tested for anti-SARS-CoV-2 N antibodies (December 2021-February 2022) and parents filled in a questionnaire on persistent symptoms in their children (lasting over 12 weeks) compatible with post-COVID. Of 1034 children tested, 570 (55.1%) were seropositive. The sex- and age-adjusted prevalence of persistent symptoms among seropositive children was 9.1% (95%CI: 6.7;11.8) and 5.0% (95%CI: 3.0;7.1) among seronegatives, with an adjusted prevalence difference (ΔaPrev) of 4.1% (95%CI: 1.1;7.3). Stratifying per age group, only adolescents displayed a substantial risk of having post-COVID symptoms (ΔaPrev = 8.3%, 95%CI: 3.5;13.5). Identified risk factors for post-COVID syndrome were older age, having a lower socioeconomic status and suffering from chronic health conditions, especially asthma. Our findings show that a significant proportion of seropositive children, particularly adolescents, experienced persistent COVID symptoms. While there is a need for further investigations, growing evidence of pediatric post-COVID urges early screening and primary care management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roxane Dumont
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Viviane Richard
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Elsa Lorthe
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Loizeau
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Francesco Pennacchio
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - María-Eugenia Zaballa
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Hélène Baysson
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Mayssam Nehme
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Anne Perrin
- Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Woman, Child, and Adolescent Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Arnaud G L'Huillier
- Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Woman, Child, and Adolescent Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist, Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Laurent Kaiser
- Geneva Center for Emerging Viral Diseases and Laboratory Virology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division of Laboratory Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Rémy P Barbe
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Woman, Child, and Adolescent Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Klara M Posfay-Barbe
- Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Woman, Child, and Adolescent Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist, Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Stringhini
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- University Center for General Medicine and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Idris Guessous
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Division and Department of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
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17
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Dumont R, Richard V, Baysson H, Lorthe E, Piumatti G, Schrempft S, Wisniak A, Barbe RP, Posfay-Barbe KM, Guessous I, Stringhini S. Determinants of adolescents’ Health-Related Quality of Life and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0272925. [PMID: 35951623 PMCID: PMC9371327 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background We examined the determinants of adolescents’ Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) and psychological distress (self-reported and parent-reported) during the COVID-19 pandemic, using a random sample of the population of Geneva, Switzerland. Methods Data was drawn from participants aged 14–17 years, who participated with their families to a serosurvey conducted in November and December 2020. Adolescents’ HRQoL was evaluated using the validated adolescent-reported KIDSCREEN-10 and parent-reported KINDL® scales. Psychological distress was assessed with self-reported sadness and loneliness, and using the KINDL® emotional well-being scale. Using generalized estimating equations, we examined the role of socio-demographic, family and behavioural characteristics in influencing adolescents’ mental health status and wellbeing. Results Among 240 adolescents, 11% had a low HRQoL, 35% reported sadness and 23% reported loneliness. Based on parents’ perception, 12% of the adolescents had a low HRQoL and 16% a low emotional well-being. Being a girl (aOR = 3.20; 95%CI: 1.67–6.16), increased time on social media (aOR = 2.07; 95%CI: 1.08–3.97), parents’ average to poor mood (aOR = 2.62; 95%CI: 1.10–6.23) and average to poor household financial situation (aOR = 2.31; IC95%: 1.01–6.10) were associated with an increased risk of sadness. Mismatches between adolescents’ and their parents’ perception of HRQoL were more likely for girls (aOR = 2.88; 95%CI: 1.54–5.41) and in households with lower family well-being (aOR = 0.91; 95%CI: 0.86–0.96). Conclusions A meaningful proportion of adolescents experienced low well-being during the second wave of COVID-19, and average well-being was lower than pre-pandemic estimates. Adolescents living in underprivileged or distressed families seemed particularly affected. Monitoring is necessary to evaluate the long-term effects of the pandemic on adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roxane Dumont
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Viviane Richard
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Hélène Baysson
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Elsa Lorthe
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Giovanni Piumatti
- Institute of Public Health, Faculty of BioMedicine, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
- Fondazione Agnelli, Turin, Italy
| | - Stephanie Schrempft
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ania Wisniak
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Rémy P. Barbe
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Woman, Child, and Adolescent Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Klara M. Posfay-Barbe
- Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Woman, Child, and Adolescent Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Idris Guessous
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division and Department of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Stringhini
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- University Center for General Medicine and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
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18
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Schabus M, Eigl ES, Widauer SS. The coronavirus pandemic: Psychosocial burden, risk-perception, and attitudes in the Austrian population and its relation to media consumption. Front Public Health 2022; 10:921196. [PMID: 36033772 PMCID: PMC9399513 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.921196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective The aim was to assess the psychosocial burden, risk-perception and attitudes regarding the coronavirus pandemic among the Austrian population after the second infection wave in Austria. Methods A self-designed questionnaire was available online from 17th January to 19th February 2021. Knowledge, attitudes, fears, and psychosocial burdens were collected in a comprehensive convenience sample of 3,848 adults from the Austrian general population. Results 67.2% reported their greatest fear was that a close relative could be infected; the fear of dying from COVID-19 oneself, however, was mentioned least frequently (15.2%). Isolation from family and friends (78%), homeschooling for parents (68.4%), and economic consequences (67.7%) were perceived as most stressful factors during the pandemic. Personal risk for COVID-19-associated (ICU) hospitalization was overestimated 3- to 97-fold depending on age group. Depending on the media mainly consumed, the sample could be divided into two subsamples whose estimates were remarkably opposite to each other, with regular public media users overestimating hospitalization risk substantially more. Conclusion The results show a high degree of psychosocial burden in the Austrian population and emphasize the need for more objective risk communication in order to counteract individually perceived risk and consequently anxiety. Altogether data call for a stronger focus and immediate action for supporting mental well-being and general health in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.
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19
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Arnold CRK, Srinivasan S, Rodriguez S, Rydzak N, Herzog CM, Gontu A, Bharti N, Small M, Rogers CJ, Schade MM, Kuchipudi SV, Kapur V, Read AF, Ferrari MJ. A longitudinal study of the impact of university student return to campus on the SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among the community members. Sci Rep 2022; 12:8586. [PMID: 35597780 PMCID: PMC9124192 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12499-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Returning university students represent large-scale, transient demographic shifts and a potential source of transmission to adjacent communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this prospective longitudinal cohort study, we tested for IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in a non-random cohort of residents living in Centre County prior to the Fall 2020 term at the Pennsylvania State University and following the conclusion of the Fall 2020 term. We also report the seroprevalence in a non-random cohort of students collected at the end of the Fall 2020 term. Of 1313 community participants, 42 (3.2%) were positive for SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies at their first visit between 07 August and 02 October 2020. Of 684 student participants who returned to campus for fall instruction, 208 (30.4%) were positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies between 26 October and 21 December. 96 (7.3%) community participants returned a positive IgG antibody result by 19 February. Only contact with known SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals and attendance at small gatherings (20-50 individuals) were significant predictors of detecting IgG antibodies among returning students (aOR, 95% CI 3.1, 2.07-4.64; 1.52, 1.03-2.24; respectively). Despite high seroprevalence observed within the student population, seroprevalence in a longitudinal cohort of community residents was low and stable from before student arrival for the Fall 2020 term to after student departure. The study implies that heterogeneity in SARS-CoV-2 transmission can occur in geographically coincident populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Callum R K Arnold
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
| | - Sreenidhi Srinivasan
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Sophie Rodriguez
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Natalie Rydzak
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Catherine M Herzog
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Abhinay Gontu
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Nita Bharti
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Meg Small
- College of Health and Human Development, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Social Science Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Connie J Rogers
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Margeaux M Schade
- College of Health and Human Development, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Suresh V Kuchipudi
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Vivek Kapur
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Department of Animal Science, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Andrew F Read
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Matthew J Ferrari
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
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20
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Huisman JS, Scire J, Caduff L, Fernandez-Cassi X, Ganesanandamoorthy P, Kull A, Scheidegger A, Stachler E, Boehm AB, Hughes B, Knudson A, Topol A, Wigginton KR, Wolfe MK, Kohn T, Ort C, Stadler T, Julian TR. Wastewater-Based Estimation of the Effective Reproductive Number of SARS-CoV-2. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2022; 130:57011. [PMID: 35617001 PMCID: PMC9135136 DOI: 10.1289/ehp10050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 04/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The effective reproductive number, R e , is a critical indicator to monitor disease dynamics, inform regional and national policies, and estimate the effectiveness of interventions. It describes the average number of new infections caused by a single infectious person through time. To date, R e estimates are based on clinical data such as observed cases, hospitalizations, and/or deaths. These estimates are temporarily biased when clinical testing or reporting strategies change. OBJECTIVES We show that the dynamics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA in wastewater can be used to estimate R e in near real time, independent of clinical data and without the associated biases. METHODS We collected longitudinal measurements of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater in Zurich, Switzerland, and San Jose, California, USA. We combined this data with information on the temporal dynamics of shedding (the shedding load distribution) to estimate a time series proportional to the daily COVID-19 infection incidence. We estimated a wastewater-based R e from this incidence. RESULTS The method to estimate R e from wastewater worked robustly on data from two different countries and two wastewater matrices. The resulting estimates were as similar to the R e estimates from case report data as R e estimates based on observed cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are among each other. We further provide details on the effect of sampling frequency and the shedding load distribution on the ability to infer R e . DISCUSSION To our knowledge, this is the first time R e has been estimated from wastewater. This method provides a low-cost, rapid, and independent way to inform SARS-CoV-2 monitoring during the ongoing pandemic and is applicable to future wastewater-based epidemiology targeting other pathogens. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10050.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana S. Huisman
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jérémie Scire
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lea Caduff
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Xavier Fernandez-Cassi
- Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Anina Kull
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Scheidegger
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Elyse Stachler
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Alexandria B. Boehm
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | | | - Alisha Knudson
- Verily Life Sciences, South San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Aaron Topol
- Verily Life Sciences, South San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Krista R. Wigginton
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Marlene K. Wolfe
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Tamar Kohn
- Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Christoph Ort
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Tanja Stadler
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Timothy R. Julian
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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21
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Huisman JS, Scire J, Caduff L, Fernandez-Cassi X, Ganesanandamoorthy P, Kull A, Scheidegger A, Stachler E, Boehm AB, Hughes B, Knudson A, Topol A, Wigginton KR, Wolfe MK, Kohn T, Ort C, Stadler T, Julian TR. Wastewater-Based Estimation of the Effective Reproductive Number of SARS-CoV-2. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2022; 130:57011. [PMID: 35617001 DOI: 10.1101/2021.04.29.21255961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The effective reproductive number, Re, is a critical indicator to monitor disease dynamics, inform regional and national policies, and estimate the effectiveness of interventions. It describes the average number of new infections caused by a single infectious person through time. To date, Re estimates are based on clinical data such as observed cases, hospitalizations, and/or deaths. These estimates are temporarily biased when clinical testing or reporting strategies change. OBJECTIVES We show that the dynamics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA in wastewater can be used to estimate Re in near real time, independent of clinical data and without the associated biases. METHODS We collected longitudinal measurements of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater in Zurich, Switzerland, and San Jose, California, USA. We combined this data with information on the temporal dynamics of shedding (the shedding load distribution) to estimate a time series proportional to the daily COVID-19 infection incidence. We estimated a wastewater-based Re from this incidence. RESULTS The method to estimate Re from wastewater worked robustly on data from two different countries and two wastewater matrices. The resulting estimates were as similar to the Re estimates from case report data as Re estimates based on observed cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are among each other. We further provide details on the effect of sampling frequency and the shedding load distribution on the ability to infer Re. DISCUSSION To our knowledge, this is the first time Re has been estimated from wastewater. This method provides a low-cost, rapid, and independent way to inform SARS-CoV-2 monitoring during the ongoing pandemic and is applicable to future wastewater-based epidemiology targeting other pathogens. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10050.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana S Huisman
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jérémie Scire
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lea Caduff
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Xavier Fernandez-Cassi
- Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Anina Kull
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Scheidegger
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Elyse Stachler
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Alexandria B Boehm
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | | | - Alisha Knudson
- Verily Life Sciences, South San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Aaron Topol
- Verily Life Sciences, South San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Krista R Wigginton
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Marlene K Wolfe
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Tamar Kohn
- Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Christoph Ort
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Tanja Stadler
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Timothy R Julian
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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22
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Menon LK, Richard V, de Mestral C, Baysson H, Wisniak A, Guessous I, Stringhini S. Forgoing healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic in Geneva, Switzerland - A cross-sectional population-based study. Prev Med 2022; 156:106987. [PMID: 35150752 PMCID: PMC8828292 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.106987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Health systems around the world continue to navigate through operational challenges surfaced by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; these have implications for access to healthcare. In this study, we estimate the prevalence and reasons for forgoing healthcare during the pandemic in Geneva, Switzerland; a country with a universal and mandatory private health insurance coverage. METHODS Participants from a randomly selected population-based sample of the adult population living in the Canton of Geneva completed an online socio-demographic and lifestyle questionnaire between November 2020 and January 2021. The prevalence and reasons for forgoing healthcare since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic were examined descriptively, and logistic regression models were used to assess determinants for forgoing healthcare. RESULTS The study included 5397 participants, among which 8.0% reported having forgone healthcare since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic; participants with a disadvantaged financial situation (OR = 2.04; 95% CI: 1.56-2.65), and those reporting an average (OR = 2.54; 95% CI: 1.94-3.31) or poor health (OR = 4.40; 95% CI: 2.39-7.67) were more likely to forgo healthcare. The most common reasons to forgo healthcare were appointment cancellations by healthcare providers (53.9%), fear of infection (35.3%), and personal organizational issues (11.1%). CONCLUSION Our paper highlights the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to healthcare and identifies population sub-groups at-risk for forgoing healthcare. These results necessitate public health efforts to ensure equitable and accessible healthcare as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lakshmi Krishna Menon
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Rue Jean-Violette 29, 1205 Genève, Switzerland; Institute of Global Health, University of Geneva, Chemin des Mines 9, 1202 Genève, Switzerland.
| | - Viviane Richard
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Rue Jean-Violette 29, 1205 Genève, Switzerland.
| | - Carlos de Mestral
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Rue Jean-Violette 29, 1205 Genève, Switzerland.
| | - Hélène Baysson
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Rue Jean-Violette 29, 1205 Genève, Switzerland; Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Rue Michel-Servet 1, 1211 Genève, Switzerland.
| | - Ania Wisniak
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Rue Jean-Violette 29, 1205 Genève, Switzerland; Institute of Global Health, University of Geneva, Chemin des Mines 9, 1202 Genève, Switzerland.
| | - Idris Guessous
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Rue Michel-Servet 1, 1211 Genève, Switzerland; Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil 4, 1205 Genève, Switzerland.
| | - Silvia Stringhini
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Rue Jean-Violette 29, 1205 Genève, Switzerland; Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil 4, 1205 Genève, Switzerland; University Center for General Medicine and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Rue du Bugnon 44, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland.
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23
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Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 IgG Seroprevalence in Children and Factors Associated with Seroconversion: Results from a Multiple Time-Points Study in Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region, Italy. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 9:children9020246. [PMID: 35204966 PMCID: PMC8870333 DOI: 10.3390/children9020246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Data on the effective burden of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in the pediatric population are limited. We aimed at assessing the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in children at three subsequent time-points. The study was conducted between January 2021 and July 2021 among children referring to the Research Institute for Maternal and Child Health “Burlo Garofolo” in Trieste, a referral regional hospital in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy. A multivariate analysis was conducted to assess factors independently associated with seroconversion. A total of 594 children were included. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 trimeric Spike protein IgG antibodies were found in 32 (15.4%) children tested in April-May and in 20 (11.8%) in June–July 2021, compared with 24 (11.1%) of those tested in January–February 2021 (p = 0.37, Armitage exact test for trend over time p = 0.76). A subgroup analysis and a multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed considering sociodemographic, clinical, and historical variables. Three categories of children showed statistically significant increased odds of positive anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies: children previously positive to a nasopharyngeal swab (AdjOR 15.41, 95%CI 3.44–69.04, p < 0.001), cohabitant with a person with an history of a previous positive nasopharyngeal swab (AdjOR 9.95, 95%CI 5.35–18.52, p < 0.001), and children with a foreign citizenship (AdjOR 2.4, 95%CI 1.05–5.70, p = 0.002). The study suggests that seroprevalence studies may be of limited help in estimating the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic in children. Further studies are needed to identify other markers of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection in children, such as CD4+ T cells or memory B-cells.
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24
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Costa JPD, Meireles P, Rodrigues PNS, Barros H. Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a cohort of workers from the University of Porto, Portugal. Infect Dis (Lond) 2022; 54:441-447. [PMID: 35129057 DOI: 10.1080/23744235.2022.2035429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Repeated serosurveys in the same population provide more accurate estimates of the frequency of SARS-CoV-2 infection and more comparable data over time than notified cases. We aimed to estimate the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, identify associated factors, and assess time trends in the ratio of serological/molecular diagnosis in a cohort of university workers. METHODS Participants had a serological rapid test for SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulins M and G, and completed a questionnaire, in May-July 2020 (n = 3628) and November 2020-January 2021 (n = 2661); 1960 participated in both evaluations and provided data to compute the incidence proportion and the incidence rate. Crude and adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed using generalized linear models with Poisson regression. RESULTS The incidence rate was 1.8/100 person-months (95% CI: 1.5-2.0), and the 6 months' cumulative incidence was 10.7%. The serological/molecular diagnosis ratio was 10:1 in the first evaluation and 3:1 in the second. Considering newly identified seropositive cases at the first (n = 69) and second evaluation (n = 202), 29.0% and 9.4% never reported symptoms, respectively, 14.5% and 33.3% reported contact with a confirmed case and 82.6%, and 46.0% never had a molecular test. Males (aIRR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.44-0.85) and 'high-skilled white-collar' workers (aIRR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.53-1.04) had lower risk of infection. CONCLUSION University workers presented a high SARS-CoV-2 incidence while restrictive measures were in place. The time decrease in the proportion of undiagnosed cases reflected the increased access and awareness to testing, but opportunities continued to be missed, even in the presence of COVID-19-like symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Pinto da Costa
- EPIUnit - Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Laboratório para a Investigação Integrativa e Translacional em Saúde Populacional (ITR), Porto, Portugal
| | - Paula Meireles
- EPIUnit - Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Laboratório para a Investigação Integrativa e Translacional em Saúde Populacional (ITR), Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro N S Rodrigues
- i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Henrique Barros
- EPIUnit - Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Laboratório para a Investigação Integrativa e Translacional em Saúde Populacional (ITR), Porto, Portugal.,Departamento de Ciências da Saúde Pública e Forenses e Educação Médica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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25
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Baysson H, Pennachio F, Wisniak A, Zabella ME, Pullen N, Collombet P, Lorthe E, Joost S, Balavoine JF, Bachmann D, Azman A, Pittet D, Chappuis F, Kherad O, Kaiser L, Guessous I, Stringhini S. Specchio-COVID19 cohort study: a longitudinal follow-up of SARS-CoV-2 serosurvey participants in the canton of Geneva, Switzerland. BMJ Open 2022; 12:e055515. [PMID: 35105645 PMCID: PMC8804307 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-055515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The COVID-19 pandemic has affected billions of people around the world both directly through the infection itself and indirectly through its economic, social and sanitary impact. Collecting data over time is essential for the understanding of the disease spread, the incidence of COVID-19-like symptoms, the level and dynamics of immunity, as well as the long-term impact of the pandemic. The objective of the study was to set up a longitudinal follow-up of adult participants of serosurveys carried out in the canton of Geneva, Switzerland, during the COVID-19 pandemic. This follow-up aims at monitoring COVID-19 related symptoms and SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion, as well as the overall impact of the pandemic on several dimensions of health and on socioeconomic factors over a period of at least 2 years. METHODS AND ANALYSIS Serosurvey participants were invited to create an account on the dedicated digital platform Specchio-COVID19 (https://www.specchio-covid19.ch/). On registration, an initial questionnaire assessed sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics (including housing conditions, physical activity, diet, alcohol and tobacco consumption), anthropometry, general health and experience related to COVID-19 (symptoms, COVID-19 test results, quarantines, hospitalisations). Weekly, participants were invited to fill in a short questionnaire with updates on self-reported COVID-19-compatible symptoms, SARS-CoV-2 infection testing and vaccination. A more detailed questionnaire about mental health, well-being, risk perception and changes in working conditions was proposed monthly. Supplementary questionnaires were proposed at regular intervals to assess more in depth the impact of the pandemic on physical and mental health, vaccination adherence, healthcare consumption and changes in health behaviours. At baseline, serology testing allowed to assess the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection among the general population and subgroups of workers. Additionally, seropositive participants and a sample of randomly selected participants were invited for serologic testing at regular intervals in order to monitor both the seropersistance of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and the seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the population of the canton of Geneva. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION The study was approved by the Cantonal Research Ethics Commission of Geneva, Switzerland (CCER Project ID 2020-00881). Results will be disseminated in a variety of ways, via the Specchio-COVID-19 platform, social media posts, press releases and through regular scientific dissemination methods (open-access articles, conferences).
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Affiliation(s)
- Helene Baysson
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Francesco Pennachio
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ania Wisniak
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Maria Eugenia Zabella
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Nick Pullen
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Prune Collombet
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Elsa Lorthe
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Stéphane Joost
- Laboratory of Geographic Information Systems (LASIG), School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental engineering (ENAC), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Delphine Bachmann
- Hirslanden Clinique des Grangettes and Hislanden Clinique La Colline, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Andrew Azman
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Didier Pittet
- Infection Control Program and World Health Organization Collaborating Center on Patient Safety, Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medecine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - François Chappuis
- Department of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Omar Kherad
- Division of Internal Medicine, Hôpital de la Tour and Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Laurent Kaiser
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Geneva Center of Emerging Viral Diseases and Laboratory of Virology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division of Laboratory Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Idris Guessous
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Stringhini
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- University Center for General Medicine and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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26
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Chappell H, Patel R, Driessens C, Tarr AW, Irving WL, Tighe PJ, Jackson HJ, Harvey-Cowlishaw T, Mills L, Shaunak M, Gbesemete D, Leahy A, Lucas JS, Faust SN, de Graaf H. Immunocompromised children and young people are at no increased risk of severe COVID-19. J Infect 2022; 84:31-39. [PMID: 34785268 PMCID: PMC8590622 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinf.2021.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We aimed to prospectively describe the incidence and clinical spectrum of SARS-CoV-2 infection in immunocompromised paediatric patients in the UK. METHODS From March 2020 to 2021 weekly questionnaires were sent to immunocompromised paediatric patients or their parents. Information, including symptom presentation and SARS-CoV-2 PCR test results, was collected from 1527 participants from 46 hospitals. Cross-sectional serology was investigated in February and March 2021. RESULTS Until the end of September 2020, no cases were reported. From September 28th 2020 to March 2021 a total of 38 PCR-detected SARS-CoV-2 infections were reported. Of these, four children were admitted to hospital but none had acute severe COVID-19. Increasing age in association with immunodeficiency increased reporting of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Worsening of fever, cough, and sore throat were associated with participants reporting SARS-CoV-2 infection. Serology data included 452 unvaccinated participants. In those reporting prior positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR, there were detectable antibodies in 9 of 18 (50%). In those with no prior report of infection, antibodies were detected in 32 of 434 (7•4%). CONCLUSIONS This study shows SARS-CoV-2 infections have occurred in immunocompromised children and young people with no increased risk of severe disease. No children died.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Chappell
- NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility and Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - R Patel
- Faculty of Medicine and Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - C Driessens
- NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Wessex, University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - A W Tarr
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Research
| | - W L Irving
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Research
| | - P J Tighe
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - H J Jackson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - T Harvey-Cowlishaw
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - L Mills
- NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility and Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - M Shaunak
- NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility and Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - D Gbesemete
- NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility and Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK; Faculty of Medicine and Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - A Leahy
- Paediatric Medicine, University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - J S Lucas
- NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility and Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK; Faculty of Medicine and Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK; Paediatric Medicine, University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - S N Faust
- NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility and Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK; Faculty of Medicine and Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK; Paediatric Medicine, University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - H de Graaf
- NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility and Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK; Faculty of Medicine and Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK; Paediatric Medicine, University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.
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27
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Petersen MS, Strøm M, Fjallsbak JP, Hansen JL, Larsen S, Eliasen EH, Johansen M, Veyhe AS, Kristiansen MF, Weihe P. Low Seroprevalence among Undetected COVID-19 Cases, Faroe Islands, November 2020. Emerg Infect Dis 2022; 28:242-244. [PMID: 34757895 PMCID: PMC8714219 DOI: 10.3201/eid2801.210917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
We conducted a second nationwide severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 seroprevalence study in the Faroe Islands during November 2020. We found crude seroprevalence was 0.3% and prevalence was 0.4% after adjusting for test sensitivity and specificity. This low seroprevalence supports the prevention strategies used in the Faroe Islands.
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28
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SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence in Western Romania, March to June 2021. MEDICINA (KAUNAS, LITHUANIA) 2021; 58:medicina58010035. [PMID: 35056343 PMCID: PMC8781951 DOI: 10.3390/medicina58010035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The extent of SARS-CoV-2 infection among a population may be assessed by the presence of serum SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, which indicates previous exposure. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the adult population from Western Romania. Materials and Methods: Samples of 2443 consecutive individuals, referred for routine laboratory investigations, were tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies using the Elecsys immunoassay that targets the nucleocapsid protein, for identifying the presence of the total antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Results: The overall SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence was 45.60%. SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence was significantly higher in age group 30-49 years (53.94%) compared to age groups 50-69 years (43.53%) and 70-91 years (30.79%) (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively). No significant difference in seroprevalence was observed between females (44.83%) and males (47.05%). Conclusions: Our data revealed a high seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the adult population from Western Romania and indicate the rapid and significant spread of the virus. The estimated prevalence of 45.60% was 6 times higher than the rate of confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in the study area. This indicates the magnitude of virus transmission in the community.
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29
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Shattock AJ, Le Rutte EA, Dünner RP, Sen S, Kelly SL, Chitnis N, Penny MA. Impact of vaccination and non-pharmaceutical interventions on SARS-CoV-2 dynamics in Switzerland. Epidemics 2021; 38:100535. [PMID: 34923396 PMCID: PMC8669952 DOI: 10.1016/j.epidem.2021.100535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background As vaccination coverage against SARS-CoV-2 increases amidst the emergence and spread of more infectious and potentially more deadly viral variants, decisions on timing and extent of relaxing effective, but unsustainable, non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) need to be made. Methods An individual-based transmission model of SARS-CoV-2 dynamics, OpenCOVID, was developed to compare the impact of various vaccination and NPI strategies on the COVID-19 epidemic in Switzerland. OpenCOVID uses the Oxford Containment Health Index (OCHI) to quantify the stringency of NPIs. Results Even if NPIs in place in March 2021 were to be maintained and the vaccine campaigns rollout rapidly scaled-up, a ‘third wave’ was predicted. However, we find a cautious phased relaxation can substantially reduce population-level morbidity and mortality. We find that a faster vaccination campaign can offset the size of such a wave, allowing more flexibility for NPIs to be relaxed sooner. Model outcomes were most sensitive to the level of infectiousness of variants of concern observed in Switzerland. Conclusion A rapid vaccination rollout can allow the sooner relaxation of NPIs, however ongoing surveillance of - and swift responses to - emerging viral variants is of utmost importance for epidemic control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Shattock
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Epke A Le Rutte
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Robert P Dünner
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Swapnoleena Sen
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Sherrie L Kelly
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Nakul Chitnis
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Melissa A Penny
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
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Mara E, Breitsching V, Schuster T, Pekar T. Prevalence of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in an Austrian cohort. CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY COMMUNICATIONS 2021; 1:17-19. [PMID: 38620937 PMCID: PMC8496944 DOI: 10.1016/j.clicom.2021.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) first emerged at the end of 2019, causing the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The main sources of infections are infected and asymptomatic persons. One major problem of the pandemic are the diverse symptoms and the varying manifestations of the illness. In this study, the IgG level recognizing the RBD of SARS-CoV-2 was determined within 336 volunteers from the environment of the University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt. The aims of this study were to identify the estimated number of undiscovered COVID-19 infections and the corresponding antibody levels. In total, 11.3% of the nonvaccinated probands had a positive IgG antibody titer against SARS-CoV-2, whereas 4.0% did not test positive for SARS-CoV-2 or had never been tested at the time of sampling. Probands in this study reported tiredness (57,5%), ageusia/anosmia (55%) and headache (47,5%) as most frequent symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Mara
- Biomedical Science, University of Applied Science Wiener Neustadt, Wiener Neustadt, Austria
| | - Verena Breitsching
- Biomedical Science, University of Applied Science Wiener Neustadt, Wiener Neustadt, Austria
| | - Tanja Schuster
- Biomedical Science, University of Applied Science Wiener Neustadt, Wiener Neustadt, Austria
| | - Thomas Pekar
- Biomedical Science, University of Applied Science Wiener Neustadt, Wiener Neustadt, Austria
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Thamm R, Buttmann-Schweiger N, Fiebig J, Poethko-Müller C, Prütz F, Sarganas G, Neuhauser H. [Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among children and adolescents in Germany-an overview]. Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz 2021; 64:1483-1491. [PMID: 34731291 PMCID: PMC8563819 DOI: 10.1007/s00103-021-03448-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Hintergrund SARS-CoV-2-Antikörperstudien ergänzen und erweitern die Erkenntnisse aus der Meldestatistik laborbestätigter COVID-19-Fälle um Informationen zu unentdeckten Fällen. Ziel der Arbeit Der vorliegende Beitrag fasst bisherige Ergebnisse zur SARS-CoV-2-Prävalenz aus seroepidemiologischen Studien in Deutschland zusammen, die sich auf Kinder und Jugendliche konzentrieren, und ergänzt die bereits vorliegende Übersicht zur Seroprävalenz bei Erwachsenen und speziell bei Blutspendenden in Deutschland. Material und Methoden Die Ergebnisse der Übersichtsarbeit beruhen auf einer fortlaufenden systematischen Recherche in Studienregistern, Literaturdatenbanken, von Preprint-Veröffentlichungen und Medienberichten seroepidemiologischer Studien in Deutschland sowie deren Ergebnissen. Ergebnisse Mit Stand 17.09.2021 sind uns 16 deutsche seroepidemiologische Studien, die sich auf Kinder und Jugendliche konzentrieren, bekannt geworden. Für 9 dieser Studien liegen Ergebnisse vor. Für fast alle untersuchten Settings lag die SARS-CoV-2-Seroprävalenz für Kinder im Kita- und Grundschulalter in der ersten COVID-19-Welle deutlich unter 1 % und für Jugendliche unter 2 %. Im Verlauf der Pandemie wurden höhere Seroprävalenzen von bis zu 8 % für Kinder im Grundschulalter ermittelt. Diskussion Ergebnisse von SARS-CoV-2-Antikörperstudien bei Kindern und Jugendlichen in Deutschland liegen bislang erst in geringem Umfang und basierend auf lokal-regionalen, nichtrepräsentativen Stichproben vor. In künftigen Studien gilt es, einerseits abzuschätzen, welcher Anteil der Kinder und Jugendlichen bereits eine Infektion hatte oder geimpft ist. Zum anderen gilt es, die Verbreitung körperlicher und psychischer Beeinträchtigungen im Nachgang einer Infektion zu untersuchen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roma Thamm
- Abteilung Epidemiologie und Gesundheitsmonitoring, Robert Koch-Institut, General-Pape-Str. 62-66, 12101, Berlin, Deutschland.
| | - Nina Buttmann-Schweiger
- Abteilung Epidemiologie und Gesundheitsmonitoring, Robert Koch-Institut, General-Pape-Str. 62-66, 12101, Berlin, Deutschland
| | - Julia Fiebig
- Abteilung Epidemiologie und Gesundheitsmonitoring, Robert Koch-Institut, General-Pape-Str. 62-66, 12101, Berlin, Deutschland
| | - Christina Poethko-Müller
- Abteilung Epidemiologie und Gesundheitsmonitoring, Robert Koch-Institut, General-Pape-Str. 62-66, 12101, Berlin, Deutschland
| | - Franziska Prütz
- Abteilung Epidemiologie und Gesundheitsmonitoring, Robert Koch-Institut, General-Pape-Str. 62-66, 12101, Berlin, Deutschland
| | - Giselle Sarganas
- Abteilung Epidemiologie und Gesundheitsmonitoring, Robert Koch-Institut, General-Pape-Str. 62-66, 12101, Berlin, Deutschland
| | - Hannelore Neuhauser
- Abteilung Epidemiologie und Gesundheitsmonitoring, Robert Koch-Institut, General-Pape-Str. 62-66, 12101, Berlin, Deutschland
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Zinszer K, McKinnon B, Bourque N, Pierce L, Saucier A, Otis A, Cheriet I, Papenburg J, Hamelin MÈ, Charland K, Carbonneau J, Zahreddine M, Savard A, Fortin G, Apostolatos A, Haley N, Ratté N, Laurin I, Nguyen CT, Conrod P, Boivin G, De Serres G, Quach C. Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies Among Children in School and Day Care in Montreal, Canada. JAMA Netw Open 2021; 4:e2135975. [PMID: 34812845 PMCID: PMC8611475 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.35975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Quebec prioritized in-person learning after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, with school closures being implemented temporarily in selected schools or in hot-spot areas. Quebec's decision to keep most schools open was controversial, especially in Montreal, which was the epicenter of Canada's first and second waves; therefore, understanding the extent to which children were infected with SARS-CoV-2 provides important information for decisions about school closures. OBJECTIVE To estimate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in children and teenagers in 4 neighborhoods of Montreal, Canada. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cohort study (the Enfants et COVID-19: Étude de séroprévalence [EnCORE] study) enrolled a convenience sample of children aged 2 to 17 years between October 22, 2020, and March 22, 2021, in Montreal, Canada. EXPOSURES Potential exposure to SARS-CoV-2. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The main outcome was seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, collected using dried blood spots (DBSs) and analyzed with a research-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Parents also completed an online questionnaire that included questions on self-reported COVID-19 symptoms and tests, along with sociodemographic questions. RESULTS This study included 1632 participants who provided a DBS sample from 30 day cares, 22 primary schools, and 11 secondary schools. The mean (SD) age of the children who provided a DBS sample was 9.0 (4.4) years; 801 (49%) were female individuals, with 354 participants (22%) from day cares, 725 (44%) from primary schools, and 553 (34%) from secondary schools. Most parents had at least a bachelor's degree (1228 [75%]), and 210 (13%) self-identified as being a racial or ethnic minority. The mean seroprevalence was 5.8% (95% CI, 4.6%-7.0%) but increased over time from 3.2% (95% CI, 0.7%-5.8%) in October to November 2020 to 8.4% (95% CI, 4.4%-12.4%) in March to April 2021. Of the 95 children with positive SARS-CoV-2 antibody results, 78 (82%) were not tested or tested negative with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing, and all experienced mild (49 [52%]) or no clinical symptoms (46 [48%]). The children of parents who self-identified as belonging to a racial and ethnic minority group were more likely to be seropositive compared with children of White parents (adjusted seroprevalence ratio, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.1-2.6). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE These results provide a benchmark of the seroprevalence status in Canadian children. The findings suggest that there was more transmission occurring in children compared with what was being detected by RT-PCR, although children experienced few or mild symptoms. It will be important to continue monitoring the serological status of children, particularly in the context of new COVID-19 variants of concern and in the absence of mass vaccination campaigns targeting young children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate Zinszer
- University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Centre for Public Health Research, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Britt McKinnon
- University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Centre for Public Health Research, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Noémie Bourque
- University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Centre for Public Health Research, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Laura Pierce
- Centre for Public Health Research, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Adrien Saucier
- University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Centre for Public Health Research, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Alexandra Otis
- Centre for Public Health Research, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Jesse Papenburg
- Montreal Children’s Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Katia Charland
- Centre for Public Health Research, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | | | - Ashley Savard
- Centre for Public Health Research, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Geneviève Fortin
- University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Centre for Public Health Research, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Nancy Haley
- Direction régionale de la santé publique du Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Nathalie Ratté
- Direction régionale de la santé publique du Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Isabel Laurin
- University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Direction régionale de la santé publique du Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Cat Tuong Nguyen
- Direction régionale de la santé publique du Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Patrica Conrod
- University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Research Centre of the Sainte-Justine University Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Guy Boivin
- Research Centre Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Gaston De Serres
- National Institute of Public Health of Quebec, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Caroline Quach
- University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Research Centre of the Sainte-Justine University Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Siegfried S, Bopp M, Günthard H, Keiser O, Weibull CE, Crowther M, Hothorn T. Assessing relative COVID-19 mortality during the second wave: a prospective Swiss population-based study. BMJ Open 2021; 11:e051164. [PMID: 34607868 PMCID: PMC8491006 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-051164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE During the first COVID-19 wave in Switzerland, relative mortality was at least eight times higher compared with the uninfected general population. We aimed to assess sex-specific and age-specific relative mortality associated with a SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis during the second wave. DESIGN Prospective population-based study. SETTING Individuals testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 after the start of the second wave on 1 October 2020 were followed up until death or administrative censoring on 31 December 2020. PARTICIPANTS 5 179 740 inhabitants of Switzerland in fall 2018 aged 35-95 years (without COVID-19) and 257 288 persons tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR or antigen testing during the second wave. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES The planned outcome measure was time to death from any cause, measured from the date of a SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis or 1 October in the general population. Information on confirmed SARS-CoV-2 diagnoses and deaths was matched by calendar time with the all-cause mortality of the general Swiss population of 2018. Proportional hazards models were used to estimate sex-specific and age-specific mortality rates and probabilities of death within 60 days. RESULTS The risk of death for individuals tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the second wave in Switzerland increased at least sixfold compared with the general population. HRs, reflecting the risk attributable to a SARS-CoV-2 infection, were higher for men (1.40, 95% CI 1.29 to 1.52) and increased for each additional year of age (1.01, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.02). COVID-19 mortality was reduced by at least 20% compared with the first wave in spring 2020. CONCLUSION General mortality patterns, increased for men and older persons, were similar in spring and in fall. Absolute and relative COVID-19 mortality was smaller in fall. TRIAL REGISTRATION The protocol for this study was registered on 3 December 2020 at https://osf.io/gbd6r.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Siegfried
- Institut für Epidemiologie, Biostatistik und Prävention, Universität Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Bopp
- Institut für Epidemiologie, Biostatistik und Prävention, Universität Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Huldrych Günthard
- Institut für Medizinische Virologie, Universität Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Klinik für Infektionskrankheiten und Spitalhygiene, Universitätsspital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Olivia Keiser
- Institut de santé globale, Université de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Michael Crowther
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Torsten Hothorn
- Institut für Epidemiologie, Biostatistik und Prävention, Universität Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
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Stringhini S, Zaballa ME, Pullen N, Perez-Saez J, de Mestral C, Loizeau AJ, Lamour J, Pennacchio F, Wisniak A, Dumont R, Baysson H, Richard V, Lorthe E, Semaani C, Balavoine JF, Pittet D, Vuilleumier N, Chappuis F, Kherad O, Azman AS, Posfay-Barbe K, Kaiser L, Guessous I. Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies 6 months into the vaccination campaign in Geneva, Switzerland, 1 June to 7 July 2021. Euro Surveill 2021; 26:2100830. [PMID: 34713799 PMCID: PMC8555371 DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2021.26.43.2100830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BackgroundUp-to-date seroprevalence estimates are critical to describe the SARS-CoV-2 immune landscape and to guide public health decisions.AimWe estimate seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies 15 months into the COVID-19 pandemic and 6 months into the vaccination campaign.MethodsWe conducted a population-based cross-sectional serosurvey between 1 June and 7 July 2021, recruiting participants from age- and sex-stratified random samples of the general population. We tested participants for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies targeting the spike (S) or nucleocapsid (N) proteins using the Roche Elecsys immunoassays. We estimated the anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies seroprevalence following vaccination and/or infection (anti-S antibodies), or infection only (anti-N antibodies).ResultsAmong 3,355 individuals (54.1% women; 20.8% aged < 18 years and 13.4% aged ≥ 65 years), 2,161 (64.4%) had anti-S antibodies and 906 (27.0%) had anti-N antibodies. The total seroprevalence was 66.1% (95% credible interval (CrI): 64.1-68.0). We estimated that 29.9% (95% Crl: 28.0-31.9) of the population developed antibodies after infection; the rest having developed antibodies via vaccination. Seroprevalence estimates differed markedly across age groups, being lowest among children aged 0-5 years (20.8%; 95% Crl: 15.5-26.7) and highest among older adults aged ≥ 75 years (93.1%; 95% Crl: 89.6-96.0). Seroprevalence of antibodies developed via infection and/or vaccination was higher among participants with higher educational level.ConclusionMost of the population has developed anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, despite most teenagers and children remaining vulnerable to infection. As the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant spreads and vaccination rates stagnate, efforts are needed to address vaccine hesitancy, particularly among younger individuals and to minimise spread among children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Stringhini
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- University Centre for General Medicine and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - María-Eugenia Zaballa
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Nick Pullen
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Javier Perez-Saez
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
- Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Carlos de Mestral
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- University Centre for General Medicine and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Jutta Loizeau
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Julien Lamour
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Francesco Pennacchio
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ania Wisniak
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Roxane Dumont
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Hélène Baysson
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Viviane Richard
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Elsa Lorthe
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Claire Semaani
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Didier Pittet
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Infection Control Program and World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Vuilleumier
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division of Laboratory Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - François Chappuis
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division and Department of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Omar Kherad
- Division of Internal Medicine, Hôpital de la Tour, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Andrew S Azman
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
- Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Klara Posfay-Barbe
- Department of Woman, Child, and Adolescent Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Laurent Kaiser
- Geneva Centre for Emerging Viral Diseases and Laboratory Virology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division of Laboratory Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Idris Guessous
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division and Department of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
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Arnold CR, Srinivasan S, Rodriguez S, Rydzak N, Herzog CM, Gontu A, Bharti N, Small M, Rogers CJ, Schade MM, Kuchipudi SV, Kapur V, Read A, Ferrari MJ. SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence in a University Community: A Longitudinal Study of the Impact of Student Return to Campus on Infection Risk Among Community Members. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2021:2021.02.17.21251942. [PMID: 33619497 PMCID: PMC7899462 DOI: 10.1101/2021.02.17.21251942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Returning university students represent large-scale, transient demographic shifts and a potential source of transmission to adjacent communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS In this prospective longitudinal cohort study, we tested for IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in a non-random cohort of residents living in Centre County prior to the Fall 2020 term at the Pennsylvania State University and following the conclusion of the Fall 2020 term. We also report the seroprevalence in a non-random cohort of students collected at the end of the Fall 2020 term. RESULTS Of 1313 community participants, 42 (3.2%) were positive for SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies at their first visit between 07 August and 02 October 2020. Of 684 student participants who returned to campus for fall instruction, 208 (30.4%) were positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies between 26 October and 21 December. 96 (7.3%) community participants returned a positive IgG antibody result by 19 February. Only contact with known SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals and attendance at small gatherings (20-50 individuals) were significant predictors of detecting IgG antibodies among returning students (aOR, 95% CI: 3.1, 2.07-4.64; 1.52, 1.03-2.24; respectively). CONCLUSIONS Despite high seroprevalence observed within the student population, seroprevalence in a longitudinal cohort of community residents was low and stable from before student arrival for the Fall 2020 term to after student departure. The study implies that heterogeneity in SARS-CoV-2 transmission can occur in geographically coincident populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Callum R.K. Arnold
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
| | - Sreenidhi Srinivasan
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
| | - Sophie Rodriguez
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
| | - Natalie Rydzak
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
| | - Catherine M. Herzog
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
| | - Abhinay Gontu
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
| | - Nita Bharti
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
| | - Meg Small
- College of Health and Human Development, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
- Social Science Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
| | - Connie J. Rogers
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
| | - Margeaux M. Schade
- Social Science Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
| | - Suresh V Kuchipudi
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
| | - Vivek Kapur
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
- Department of Animal Science, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
| | - Andrew Read
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
| | - Matthew J. Ferrari
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA 16802
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Fargnoli V, Nehme M, Guessous I, Burton-Jeangros C. Acceptability of COVID-19 Certificates: A Qualitative Study in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2020. Front Public Health 2021; 9:682365. [PMID: 34485215 PMCID: PMC8416097 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.682365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunity certificates related to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been under discussion since the beginning of the pandemic with conflicting opinions. In order to identify arguments in favor of and against the possible implementation of documents certifying immunity of an individual based on serological testing, we developed a qualitative study in Geneva, Switzerland. The study took place between two lockdowns with a sense of semi-normalcy during summer 2020 in Switzerland but at a time when no vaccine was available and seroprevalence was below 21%. Eleven focus groups with members of the public and 14 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders were conducted between July and November 2020, with a total of 68 participants with an age range between 24 and 77 years. Interviews and focus groups transcripts were coded with the ATLAS.ti CAQDAS. Few participants considered immunity certificates based on serological testing as an acceptable public health measure. Major concerns included the reliability of scientific data related to COVID-19 immunity and serological testing potential re-infection as well as the possibility that the use of certificates could result in deleterious outcomes. Discrimination, counterfeiting, incitement for self-infection, invasion of the private sphere, violation of personal integrity, and violation of medical secrecy were perceived as the major risks. Benefits of immunity certificates were more perceived when in relation to vaccination, and included gains in medical knowledge and protection in certain contexts involving leisure or work-related activities. The consequences of implementing immunity certificates are numerous, and the acceptability by the general population has to be considered when engaging in such policy. Even if the results provide a snapshot of arguments discussed around immunity certificates based on serological testing before the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine, most of the issues discussed are central in the current debates about vaccination certificates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Fargnoli
- Geneva School of Social Sciences, Institute of Sociological Research, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Mayssam Nehme
- Division and Department of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Idris Guessous
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Claudine Burton-Jeangros
- Geneva School of Social Sciences, Institute of Sociological Research, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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Ulyte A, Radtke T, Abela IA, Haile SR, Blankenberger J, Jung R, Capelli C, Berger C, Frei A, Huber M, Schanz M, Schwarzmueller M, Trkola A, Fehr J, Puhan MA, Kriemler S. Variation in SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence across districts, schools and classes: baseline measurements from a cohort of primary and secondary school children in Switzerland. BMJ Open 2021; 11:e047483. [PMID: 34312201 PMCID: PMC8316698 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To determine the variation in SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in school children and the relationship with self-reported symptoms. DESIGN Baseline measurements of a longitudinal cohort study (Ciao Corona) from June to July 2020. SETTING 55 schools stratified by district in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland. PARTICIPANTS 2585 children (1339 girls; median age: 11 years, age range: 6-16 years), attending grades 1-2, 4-5 and 7-8. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Variation in seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in children across 12 cantonal districts, schools and grades, assessed using Luminex-based test of four epitopes for IgG, IgA and IgM (Antibody Coronavirus Assay,ABCORA 2.0). Clustering of cases within classes. Association of seropositivity and symptoms. Comparison with seroprevalence in adult population, assessed using Luminex-based test of IgG and IgA (Sensitive Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Spike Trimer Immunoglobulin Serological test). RESULTS Overall seroprevalence was 2.8% (95% CI 1.5% to 4.1%), ranging from 1.0% to 4.5% across districts. Seroprevalence in grades 1-2 was 3.8% (95% CI 2.0% to 6.1%), in grades 4-5 was 2.4% (95% CI 1.1% to 4.2%) and in grades 7-8 was 1.5% (95% CI 0.5% to 3.0%). At least one seropositive child was present in 36 of 55 (65%) schools and in 44 (34%) of 131 classes where ≥5 children and ≥50% of children within the class were tested. 73% of children reported COVID-19-compatible symptoms since January 2020, with the same frequency in seropositive and seronegative children for all symptoms. Seroprevalence of children and adults was similar (3.2%, 95% credible interval (CrI) 1.7% to 5.0% vs 3.6%, 95% CrI 1.7% to 5.4%). The ratio of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cumulative incidence-to-seropositive cases was 1:89 in children and 1:12 in adults. CONCLUSIONS SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence was low in children and similar to that in adults by the end of June 2020. Very low ratio of diagnosed-to-seropositive children was observed. We did not detect clustering of SARS-CoV-2-seropositive children within classes, but the follow-up of this study will shed more light on transmission within schools. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT04448717.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agne Ulyte
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Radtke
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Irene Alma Abela
- Institute of Medical Virology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sarah R Haile
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jacob Blankenberger
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ruedi Jung
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Celine Capelli
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Anja Frei
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Huber
- Institute of Medical Virology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Merle Schanz
- Institute of Medical Virology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Alexandra Trkola
- Institute of Medical Virology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jan Fehr
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Milo Alan Puhan
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Susi Kriemler
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Menges D, Ballouz T, Anagnostopoulos A, Aschmann HE, Domenghino A, Fehr JS, Puhan MA. Burden of post-COVID-19 syndrome and implications for healthcare service planning: A population-based cohort study. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0254523. [PMID: 34252157 PMCID: PMC8274847 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 156] [Impact Index Per Article: 52.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Longer-term consequences after SARS-CoV-2 infection are becoming an important burden to societies and healthcare systems. Data on post-COVID-19 syndrome in the general population are required for the timely planning of healthcare services and resources. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of impaired health status and physical and mental health symptoms among individuals at least six months after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and to characterize their healthcare utilization. METHODS This population-based prospective cohort study (Zurich SARS-CoV-2 Cohort) enrolled 431 adults from the general population with polymerase chain reaction-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection reported to health authorities between 27 February 2020 and 05 August 2020 in the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland. We evaluated the proportion of individuals reporting not to have fully recovered since SARS-CoV-2 infection, and the proportion reporting fatigue (Fatigue Assessment Scale), dyspnea (mMRC dyspnea scale) or depression (DASS-21) at six to eight months after diagnosis. Furthermore, the proportion of individuals with at least one healthcare contact after their acute illness was evaluated. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess factors associated with these main outcomes. RESULTS Symptoms were present in 385 (89%) participants at diagnosis and 81 (19%) were initially hospitalized. At six to eight months, 111 (26%) reported not having fully recovered. 233 (55%) participants reported symptoms of fatigue, 96 (25%) had at least grade 1 dyspnea, and 111 (26%) had DASS-21 scores indicating symptoms of depression. 170 (40%) participants reported at least one general practitioner visit related to COVID-19 after acute illness, and 10% (8/81) of initially hospitalized individuals were rehospitalized. Individuals that have not fully recovered or suffer from fatigue, dyspnea or depression were more likely to have further healthcare contacts. However, a third of individuals (37/111) that have not fully recovered did not seek further care. CONCLUSIONS In this population-based study, a relevant proportion of participants suffered from longer-term consequences after SARS-CoV-2 infection. With millions infected across the world, our findings emphasize the need for the timely planning of resources and patient-centered services for post-COVID-19 care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Menges
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich (UZH), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Tala Ballouz
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich (UZH), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alexia Anagnostopoulos
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich (UZH), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Hélène E. Aschmann
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich (UZH), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anja Domenghino
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich (UZH), Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich (UZH), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jan S. Fehr
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich (UZH), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Milo A. Puhan
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich (UZH), Zurich, Switzerland
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Vilibic-Cavlek T, Stevanovic V, Ilic M, Barbic L, Capak K, Tabain I, Krleza JL, Ferenc T, Hruskar Z, Topic RZ, Kaliterna V, Antolovic-Pozgain A, Kucinar J, Koscak I, Mayer D, Sviben M, Antolasic L, Milasincic L, Bucic L, Ferencak I, Kaic B. SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence and Neutralizing Antibody Response after the First and Second COVID-19 Pandemic Wave in Croatia. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10060774. [PMID: 34203060 PMCID: PMC8235035 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10060774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel coronavirus with a pandemic spread. So far, a total of 349,910 SARS-CoV-2 cases and 7687 deaths were reported in Croatia. We analyzed the seroprevalence and neutralizing (NT) antibody response in the Croatian general population after the first (May–July 2020) and second (December 2020–February 2021) pandemic wave. Initial serological testing was performed using a commercial ELISA, with confirmation of reactive samples by a virus neutralization test (VNT). A significant difference in the overall seroprevalence rate was found after the first (ELISA 2.2%, VNT 0.2%) and second waves (ELISA 25.1%, VNT 18.7%). Seropositive individuals were detected in all age groups, with significant differences according to age. The lowest prevalence of NT antibodies was documented in the youngest (<10 years; 16.1%) and the oldest (60–69/70+ years; 16.0% and 12.8%, respectively) age groups. However, these age groups showed the highest median NT titers (32–64). In other groups, seropositivity varied from 19.3% to 21.5%. A significant weak positive correlation between binding antibody level as detected by ELISA and VNT titer (rho = 0.439, p < 0.001) was observed. SARS-CoV-2 NT antibody titers seem to be age-related, with the highest NT activity in children under 10 years and individuals above 50 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatjana Vilibic-Cavlek
- Department of Virology, Croatian Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (I.T.); (Z.H.); (L.A.); (L.M.); (I.F.)
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +385-1-4863-238
| | - Vladimir Stevanovic
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (V.S.); (L.B.)
| | - Maja Ilic
- Department of Epidemiology, Croatian Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (M.I.); (L.B.); (B.K.)
| | - Ljubo Barbic
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (V.S.); (L.B.)
| | - Krunoslav Capak
- Environmental Health Department, Croatian Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
| | - Irena Tabain
- Department of Virology, Croatian Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (I.T.); (Z.H.); (L.A.); (L.M.); (I.F.)
| | - Jasna Lenicek Krleza
- Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, Children’s Hospital Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (J.L.K.); (R.Z.T.)
| | - Thomas Ferenc
- Clinical Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Merkur University Hospital, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
| | - Zeljka Hruskar
- Department of Virology, Croatian Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (I.T.); (Z.H.); (L.A.); (L.M.); (I.F.)
| | - Renata Zrinski Topic
- Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, Children’s Hospital Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (J.L.K.); (R.Z.T.)
| | - Vanja Kaliterna
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Teaching Institute of Public Health of Split-Dalmatia County, 21000 Split, Croatia;
| | - Arlen Antolovic-Pozgain
- Department of Microbiology, Osijek-Baranja County Institute of Public Health, 31000 Osijek, Croatia;
| | - Jasmina Kucinar
- Department of Serology, Istria County Institute of Public Health, 52100 Pula, Croatia;
| | - Iva Koscak
- Department of Microbiology, Varazdin County Institute of Public Health, 42000 Varazdin, Croatia;
| | - Dijana Mayer
- Department for Monitoring and Improving of School and Youth Health, Croatian Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
| | - Mario Sviben
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
- Department of Parasitology, Croatian Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ljiljana Antolasic
- Department of Virology, Croatian Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (I.T.); (Z.H.); (L.A.); (L.M.); (I.F.)
| | - Ljiljana Milasincic
- Department of Virology, Croatian Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (I.T.); (Z.H.); (L.A.); (L.M.); (I.F.)
| | - Lovro Bucic
- Department of Epidemiology, Croatian Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (M.I.); (L.B.); (B.K.)
| | - Ivana Ferencak
- Department of Virology, Croatian Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (I.T.); (Z.H.); (L.A.); (L.M.); (I.F.)
| | - Bernard Kaic
- Department of Epidemiology, Croatian Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (M.I.); (L.B.); (B.K.)
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Leidi A, Koegler F, Dumont R, Dubos R, Zaballa ME, Piumatti G, Coen M, Berner A, Darbellay Farhoumand P, Vetter P, Vuilleumier N, Kaiser L, Courvoisier D, Azman AS, Guessous I, Stringhini S. Risk of reinfection after seroconversion to SARS-CoV-2: A population-based propensity-score matched cohort study. Clin Infect Dis 2021; 74:622-629. [PMID: 34043763 PMCID: PMC8241483 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciab495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Serological assays detecting anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies are being widely
deployed in studies and clinical practice. However, the duration and
effectiveness of the protection conferred by the immune response remains to
be assessed in population-based samples. To estimate the incidence of newly
acquired SARS-CoV-2 infections in seropositive individuals as compared to
seronegative controls we conducted a retrospective longitudinal matched
study. Methods A seroprevalence survey including a representative sample of the population
was conducted in Geneva, Switzerland between April and June 2020,
immediately after the first pandemic wave. Seropositive participants were
matched one-to-two to seronegative controls, using a propensity-score
including age, gender, immunodeficiency, BMI, smoking status and education
level. Each individual was linked to a state-registry of SARS-CoV-2
infections. Our primary outcome was confirmed infections occurring from
serological status assessment to the end of the second pandemic wave
(January 2021). Results Among 8344 serosurvey participants, 498 seropositive individuals were
selected and matched with 996 seronegative controls. After a mean follow-up
of 35.6 (SD 3.2) weeks, 7 out of 498 (1.4%) seropositive subjects had a
positive SARS-CoV-2 test, of whom 5 (1.0%) were classified as reinfections.
In contrast, the infection rate was higher in seronegative individuals
(15.5%, 154/996) during a similar follow-up period (mean 34.7 [SD 3.2]
weeks), corresponding to a 94% (95%CI 86% to 98%, P<0.001) reduction in
the hazard of having a positive SARS-CoV-2 test for seropositives. Conclusions Seroconversion after SARS-CoV-2 infection confers protection against
reinfection lasting at least 8 months. These findings could help global
health authorities establishing priority for vaccine allocation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Leidi
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Flora Koegler
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Roxane Dumont
- Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Richard Dubos
- Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Giovanni Piumatti
- Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.,Institute of Public Health, Faculty of BioMedical Sciences, Università della, Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Matteo Coen
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Amandine Berner
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Pauline Vetter
- Geneva Center for Emerging Viral Diseases, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Vuilleumier
- Division of Laboratory Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Laurent Kaiser
- Geneva Center for Emerging Viral Diseases, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Andrew S Azman
- Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Idris Guessous
- Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Stringhini
- Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
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Andrey DO, Yerly S, Meyer B, Arm-Vernez I, Roux-Lombard P, Togni G, Guessous I, Spechbach H, Stringhini S, Agoritsas T, Stirnemann J, Reny JL, Siegrist CA, Eckerle I, Kaiser L, Vuilleumier N. Head-to-Head Evaluation of Five Automated SARS-CoV-2 Serology Immunoassays in Various Prevalence Settings. J Clin Med 2021; 10:jcm10081605. [PMID: 33920076 PMCID: PMC8069412 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10081605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose: To assess the diagnostic performances of five automated anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoassays, Epitope (N), Diasorin (S1/S2), Euroimmun (S1), Roche N (N), and Roche S (S-RBD), and to provide a testing strategy based on pre-test probability. Methods: We assessed the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) areas under the curve (AUC) values, along with the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values (PPVs), and negative predictive values (NPVs), of each assay using a validation sample set of 172 COVID-19 sera and 185 negative controls against a validated S1-immunofluorescence as a reference method. The three assays displaying the highest AUCs were selected for further serodetection of 2033 sera of a large population-based cohort. Results: In the validation analysis (pre-test probability: 48.1%), Roche N, Roche S and Euroimmun showed the highest discriminant accuracy (AUCs: 0.99, 0.98, and 0.98) with PPVs and NPVs above 96% and 94%, respectively. In the population-based cohort (pre-test probability: 6.2%) these three assays displayed AUCs above 0.97 and PPVs and NPVs above 90.5% and 99.4%, respectively. A sequential strategy using an anti-S assay as screening test and an anti-N as confirmatory assays resulted in a 96.7% PPV and 99.5% NPV, respectively. Conclusions: Euroimmun and both Roche assays performed equally well in high pre-test probability settings. At a lower prevalence, sequentially combining anti-S and anti-N assays resulted in the optimal trade-off between diagnostic performances and operational considerations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego O. Andrey
- Division of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Diagnostics, Geneva University Hospitals and Geneva University, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (S.Y.); (I.A.-V.); (P.R.-L.); (L.K.); (N.V.)
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland;
- Geneva Centre for Emerging Viral Diseases, Geneva University Hospitals, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +41-223729800; Fax: +41-223729830
| | - Sabine Yerly
- Division of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Diagnostics, Geneva University Hospitals and Geneva University, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (S.Y.); (I.A.-V.); (P.R.-L.); (L.K.); (N.V.)
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland;
| | - Benjamin Meyer
- Centre for Vaccinology, Department of Pathology and Immunology, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland; (B.M.); (C.-A.S.)
| | - Isabelle Arm-Vernez
- Division of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Diagnostics, Geneva University Hospitals and Geneva University, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (S.Y.); (I.A.-V.); (P.R.-L.); (L.K.); (N.V.)
| | - Pascale Roux-Lombard
- Division of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Diagnostics, Geneva University Hospitals and Geneva University, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (S.Y.); (I.A.-V.); (P.R.-L.); (L.K.); (N.V.)
- Division of Immunology, Geneva University Hospitals, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Giuseppe Togni
- Unilabs, Central Laboratory Collection Centers, 1296 Coppet, Switzerland;
| | - Idris Guessous
- Division and Department of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (I.G.); (H.S.); (S.S.)
| | - Hervé Spechbach
- Division and Department of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (I.G.); (H.S.); (S.S.)
| | - Silvia Stringhini
- Division and Department of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (I.G.); (H.S.); (S.S.)
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care, Geneva University Hospitals, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Agoritsas
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (T.A.); (J.S.); (J.-L.R.)
| | - Jérôme Stirnemann
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (T.A.); (J.S.); (J.-L.R.)
| | - Jean-Luc Reny
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (T.A.); (J.S.); (J.-L.R.)
| | - Claire-Anne Siegrist
- Centre for Vaccinology, Department of Pathology and Immunology, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland; (B.M.); (C.-A.S.)
- Department of Childhood and Adolescence, Geneva University Hospitals, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Isabella Eckerle
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland;
- Geneva Centre for Emerging Viral Diseases, Geneva University Hospitals, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Laurent Kaiser
- Division of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Diagnostics, Geneva University Hospitals and Geneva University, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (S.Y.); (I.A.-V.); (P.R.-L.); (L.K.); (N.V.)
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland;
- Geneva Centre for Emerging Viral Diseases, Geneva University Hospitals, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Vuilleumier
- Division of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Diagnostics, Geneva University Hospitals and Geneva University, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (S.Y.); (I.A.-V.); (P.R.-L.); (L.K.); (N.V.)
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Armann JP, Kirsten C, Galow L, Kahre E, Haag L, Dalpke A, Lück C, Berner R. SARS-CoV-2 transmissions in students and teachers: seroprevalence follow-up study in a German secondary school in November and December 2020. BMJ Paediatr Open 2021; 5:e001036. [PMID: 34192197 PMCID: PMC7992381 DOI: 10.1136/bmjpo-2021-001036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To quantify the number of undetected SARS-CoV-2 infections in educational settings. DESIGN Serial SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence study before and during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. SETTING Secondary school in Dresden, Germany. PARTICIPANTS Grade 8-12 students and their teachers were invited to participate in serial blood sampling and SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody assessment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in study population. RESULTS 247 students and 55 teachers participated in the initial study visit and 197 students and 40 teachers completed follow-up. Seroprevalence increased from 1.7% (0.3-3.3) to 6.8% (3.8-10.1) during the study period mirroring the increase of officially reported SARS-CoV-2 infections during this time. The ratio of undetected to detected SARS-CoV-2 infections ranged from 0.25 to 0.33. CONCLUSIONS We could not find evidence of relevant silent, asymptomatic spread of SARS-CoV-2 in schools neither in a low prevalence setting nor during the second wave of the pandemic, making it unlikely that educational settings play a crucial role in driving the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER DRKS00022455.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Peter Armann
- Department of Paediatrics, University Hospital and Medical Faculty Carl Gustav, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
| | - Carolin Kirsten
- Department of Paediatrics, University Hospital and Medical Faculty Carl Gustav, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
| | - Lukas Galow
- Department of Paediatrics, University Hospital and Medical Faculty Carl Gustav, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Kahre
- Department of Paediatrics, University Hospital and Medical Faculty Carl Gustav, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
| | - Luise Haag
- Department of Paediatrics, University Hospital and Medical Faculty Carl Gustav, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
| | - Alexander Dalpke
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Institute of Virology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Sachsen, Germany
| | - Christian Lück
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Institute of Virology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Sachsen, Germany
| | - Reinhard Berner
- Department of Paediatrics, University Hospital and Medical Faculty Carl Gustav, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
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