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. 2021 Dec:113:184-189.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.09.054. Epub 2021 Sep 27.

SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity among pediatric health care personnel after the first peak of the pandemic: nationwide surveillance in Turkey

Pembe Derin Oygar  1 , Ayşe Büyükçam  2 , Zümrüt Şahbudak Bal  3 , Nazan Dalgıç  4 , Şefika Elmas Bozdemir  5 , Adem Karbuz  6 , Benhur Şirvan Çetin  7 , Yalçın Kara  8 , Ceren Çetin  9 , Nevin Hatipoğlu  10 , Hatice Uygun  11 , Fatma Deniz Aygün  12 , Selda Hançerli Törün  13 , Dicle Şener Okur  14 , Dilek Yılmaz Çiftdoğan  15 , Tuğçe Tural Kara  16 , Aysun Yahşi  17 , Arife Özer  18 , Sevliya Öcal Demir  19 , Gülşen Akkoç  20 , Cansu Turan  21 , Enes Salı  22 , Semra Şen  23 , Emine Hafize Erdeniz  24 , Soner Sertan Kara  25 , Melike Emiroğlu  26 , Tuğba Erat  27 , Hacer Aktürk  28 , Sibel Laçinel Gürlevik  1 , Murat Sütçü  29 , Zeynep Gökçe Gayretli Aydın  30 , Başak Yıldız Atikan  31 , Edanur Yeşil  32 , Gizem Güner  3 , Emel Çelebi  4 , Kadir Efe  5 , Didem Kızmaz İşançlı  6 , Habibe Selver Durmuş  7 , Seher Tekeli  8 , Ayşe Karaaslan  9 , Lida Bülbül  10 , Habip Almış  11 , Özge Kaba  13 , Yıldız Ekemen Keleş  33 , Bahadır Yazıcıoğlu  17 , Şerife Bahtiyar Oğuz  18 , Hüsnü Fahri Ovalı  19 , Hazal Helin Doğan  20 , Solmaz Çelebi  21 , Deniz Çakır  22 , Burcugül Karasulu  23 , Gülsüm Alkan  26 , İrem Yenidoğan  28 , Doruk Gül  29 , Burcu Parıltan Küçükalioğlu  31 , Gülhadiye Avcu  34 , Musa Gürel Kukul  1 , Melis Bilen  3 , Belma Yaşar  4 , Tuğba Üstün  6 , Ömer Kılıç  8 , Yasemin Akın  9 , Sinem Oral Cebeci  10 , Ibrahim Hakan Bucak  11 , Mehpare Sarı Yanartaş  13 , Aslıhan Şahin  33 , Sertaç Arslanoğlu  19 , Murat Elevli  20 , Rabia Çoban  22 , Şadiye Kübra Tüter Öz  26 , Halil Hatipoğlu  29 , İlyas Tolga Erkum  10 , Mehmet Turgut  11 , Asuman Demirbuğa  13 , Taha Özçelik  19 , Diclehan Çiftçi  22 , Emine Ergül Sarı  10 , Gökhan Akkuş  19 , Sadık Sami Hatipoğlu  10 , Ener Çağrı Dinleyici  8 , Mustafa Hacımustafaoğlu  21 , Ferda Özkınay  3 , Zafer Kurugöl  3 , Ali Bülent Cengiz  1 , Ayper Somer  13 , Hasan Tezer  35 , Ateş Kara  36
Affiliations

SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity among pediatric health care personnel after the first peak of the pandemic: nationwide surveillance in Turkey

Pembe Derin Oygar et al. Int J Infect Dis. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Background: Understanding SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among health care personnel is important to explore risk factors for transmission, develop elimination strategies and form a view on the necessity and frequency of surveillance in the future.

Methods: We enrolled 4927 health care personnel working in pediatric units at 32 hospitals from 7 different regions of Turkey in a study to determine SARS Co-V-2 seroprevalence after the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. A point of care serologic lateral flow rapid test kit for immunoglobulin (Ig)M/IgG was used. Seroprevalence and its association with demographic characteristics and possible risk factors were analyzed.

Results: SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity prevalence in health care personnel tested was 6.1%. Seropositivity was more common among those who did not universally wear protective masks (10.6% vs 6.1%). Having a COVID-19-positive co-worker increased the likelihood of infection. The least and the most experienced personnel were more likely to be infected. Most of the seropositive health care personnel (68.0%) did not suspect that they had previously had COVID-19.

Conclusions: Health surveillance for health care personnel involving routine point-of-care nucleic acid testing and monitoring personal protective equipment adherence are suggested as important strategies to protect health care personnel from COVID-19 and reduce nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; health care personnel; personnel protective equipment use; serology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest All contributing authors declare no conflict of interest. The study is not funded by any organization. The study is approved by Hacettepe University Ethics Committee (Approval No: 2020/11-57).

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Health care personnel serology results by years in profession
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of seroprevalence of health care personnel by region
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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