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. 2022 May;16(3):386-394.
doi: 10.1111/irv.12952. Epub 2021 Dec 27.

SARS-CoV-2 infections in households in a peri-urban community of Lima, Peru: A prospective cohort study

Claudio F Lanata  1   2   3 , Ana I Gil  1 , Lucie Ecker  1 , Rubelio Cornejo  1 , Stefano Rios  1 , Mayra Ochoa  1 , Bia Peña  1 , Omar Flores  1 , Leigh M Howard  4 , Carlos G Grijalva  4
Affiliations

SARS-CoV-2 infections in households in a peri-urban community of Lima, Peru: A prospective cohort study

Claudio F Lanata et al. Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2022 May.

Abstract

Background: We assessed the prevalence and incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections in a prospective study of households in Lima, Peru.

Methods: Households with a child, a young adult 18-50 years, and an adult age >50 years in peri-urban Lima were followed with twice-a-week household visits during a 2-month period. Nasal swabs and saliva specimens were collected twice weekly, and nasopharyngeal swabs were collected weekly from each participant, regardless of symptoms. Laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection was defined by two RT-PCR tests from any of the collected specimens within a week. Blood samples collected at enrollment and end of follow-up were tested with rapid serological tests. We calculated the prevalence and incidence of laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Results: We enrolled 132 participants from 44 households: 44 children, 44 young adults, and 44 older adults. A total of 13 SARS-CoV-2 infections were detected in eight households, for an overall period prevalence of 9.85% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.35-16.25). Most (61.54%) infections were symptomatic. Eight of 11 (72.73%) SARS-CoV-2 detections corresponded to the Lambda variant. During 218.79 person-months at risk of follow-up, there were six new SARS-CoV-2 infections detected (2.74 per 100 person-month, 95% CI: 1.25-6.04). At enrollment, 59 of 128 participants tested had positive SARS-CoV-2 IgG serology (46.09%, 95% CI: 37.25-55.12). Five of six new infections occurred among participants with negative baseline serology.

Conclusions: We demonstrated high incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections in households, especially among subjects without evidence of prior infection, most of them not detected by the Ministry of Health system.

Keywords: COVID-19; Peru; SARS-CoV-2; cohort; incidence.

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Conflict of interest statement

Funds were provided to the Institution, not to the authors. CFL is a member of WHO COVID‐19 vaccine effectiveness working group and WHO Product Development Advisory Group. CGG reports consultancy fees from Pfizer, Merck, and Sanofi‐Pasteur and grants from Campbell Alliance/Syneos Health, CDC, NIH, the Food and Drug Administration, AHQR, and Sanofi, outside the submitted work. LMH reports grant funding from the Infectious Disease Society of America Education and Research Fund supported by Pfizer and from NIH, outside the submitted work.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Flow diagram of the 44 households enrolled into the study, peri‐urban Lima, Peru. Dec 2020 to Jan 2021
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Location of eligible and enrolled households and location of study area in the San Juan de Lurigancho District, Lima, Peru, Dec 2020 to Mar 2021
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Number of estimated daily COVID‐19 cases, daily COVID‐19 cases reported by the Peruvian Ministry of Health, daily of excess of total deaths estimated by the Peruvian SINADEF system, and COVID‐19 immunization coverage in peri‐urban districts of Lima, Peru. Dec 2020 to Jul 2021
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Supplementary concepts