SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and associated factors of infection before and after the Delta wave in French Polynesia: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: French Polynesia (FP) comprises 75 inhabited islands scattered across five archipelagos. Between July and October 2021, the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant triggered a much stronger second epidemic wave in FP than the original Wuhan strain, which was dominant from August 2020 to March 2021. Although previous seroprevalence surveys made it possible to determine the proportion of the population infected by SARS-CoV-2 on the two most populated islands (Tahiti and Moorea) after the first (20.6% in Tahiti and 9.4% in Moorea) and second (57.7% in Tahiti) epidemic waves, no data are available for more remote islands. We used blood samples and personal data collected before, during, and after the second wave from inhabitants of several islands within the five archipelagos to assess the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infections and identify associated factors.

Methods: Blood samples and personal data were collected between April and December 2021 as part of the MATAEA study, a cross-sectional survey conducted on a random sample of the adult population representative of the five FP archipelagos and stratified by age and gender. IgG antibodies targeting the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein were detected using a recombinant antigen-based microsphere immunoassay. Factors associated with anti-SARS-CoV-2-N seropositivity were identified using logistic regression models.

Results: Of 1,120 participants, 503 (44.9%) tested positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2-N antibodies, corresponding to a weighted prevalence of 56.8% for the FP population aged 18-69 years. The seroprevalence increased from 21.9% to 62.1% before and during/after the Delta wave. Of these infections, only 28.4% had been diagnosed by health professionals. The odds of being seropositive were lower in males, participants recruited before the Delta wave, those who had never been married, those with a diagnosed respiratory allergy, smokers, and those vaccinated against COVID-19.

Conclusions: Our results confirm the high impact of the Delta wave in FP. By the end of 2021, 56.8% of the FP population aged 18-69 years had been infected by SARS-CoV-2; the majority of these infections went undetected. Individuals with respiratory allergies were found to be less susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Keywords: COVID-19; French Polynesia; General population; Pacific islands; Risk factor; SARS-CoV-2; Seroprevalence.

Fig. 1

Map of French Polynesia. Each archipelago is delimited by dashed lines. The Windward and Leeward Islands are delimited by dotted lines. The inserted map in the upper left corner shows the location of French Polynesia (black circle) in the Pacific Ocean

Fig. 2

Proportion of participants with SARS-CoV-2 infection in MATAEA and two other serosurveys. LIs: Leeward Islands; WIs: Windward Islands. (1) Seroprevalence survey conducted in Tahiti and Moorea in February 2021⁸. (2) Seroprevalence survey conducted in Tahiti during November–December 2021¹¹. *Confidence intervals were calculated based on the hypothesis of binomial distribution