tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Open Forum Infect Dis
. 2021 May 2;8(8)
fab221.
doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofab221. eCollection 2021 Aug.
SARS-CoV-2 Infection Is at Herd Immunity in the Majority Segment of the Population of Qatar
Mohamed H Al-Thani[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Elmoubasher Farag[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Roberto Bertollini[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Hamad Eid Al Romaihi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sami Abdeen[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Ashraf Abdelkarim[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Faisal Daraan[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ahmed Ibrahim Hashim Elhaj Ismail[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Nahid Mostafa[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mohamed Sahl[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Jinan Suliman[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Elias Tayar[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Hasan Ali Kasem[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Meynard J A Agsalog[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Bassam K Akkarathodiyil[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ayat A Alkhalaf[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Mohamed Morhaf M H Alakshar[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Abdulsalam Ali A H Al-Qahtani[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Monther H A Al-Shedifat[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Anas Ansari[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ahmad Ali Ataalla[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Sandeep Chougule[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Abhilash K K V Gopinathan[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Feroz J Poolakundan[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Sanjay U Ranbhise[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Saed M A Saefan[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Mohamed M Thaivalappil[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Abubacker S Thoyalil[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Inayath M Umar[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Zaina Al Kanaani[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Abdullatif Al Khal[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Einas Al Kuwari[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Adeel A Butt[SUP] 2 4 [/SUP], Peter Coyle[SUP] 2 5 6 [/SUP], Andrew Jeremijenko[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Anvar Hassan Kaleeckal[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Ali Nizar Latif[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Riyazuddin Mohammad Shaik[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Hanan F Abdul Rahim[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Hadi M Yassine[SUP] 6 8 [/SUP], Gheyath K Nasrallah[SUP] 6 8 [/SUP], Mohamed Ghaith Al Kuwari[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Odette Chaghoury[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Hiam Chemaitelly[SUP] 11 12 [/SUP], Laith J Abu-Raddad[SUP] 4 11 12 [/SUP], Craft and Manual Workers Seroprevalence Study Group
Collaborators, Affiliations
Abstract
Background: Qatar experienced a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) epidemic that disproportionately affected the craft and manual worker (CMW) population, who comprise 60% of the total population. This study aimed to assess ever and/or current infection prevalence in this population.
Methods: A cross-sectional population-based survey was conducted during July 26 to September 09, 2020, to assess both anti-SARS-CoV-2 positivity through serological testing and current infection positivity through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. Associations with antibody and PCR positivity were identified through regression analyses.
Results: The study included 2641 participants, 69.3% of whom were <40 years of age. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 positivity was 55.3% (95% CI, 53.3%-57.3%) and was significantly associated with nationality, geographic location, educational attainment, occupation, and previous infection diagnosis. PCR positivity was 11.3% (95% CI, 9.9%-12.8%) and was significantly associated with nationality, geographic location, occupation, contact with an infected person, and reporting 2 or more symptoms. Infection positivity (antibody and/or PCR positive) was 60.6% (95% CI, 58.6%-62.5%). The proportion of antibody-positive CMWs who had a prior SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis was 9.3% (95% CI, 7.9%-11.0%). Only seven infections were ever severe, and only 1 was ever critical-an infection severity rate of 0.5% (95% CI, 0.2%-1.0%).
Conclusions: Six in every 10 CMWs in Qatar have been infected, suggestive of reaching the herd immunity threshold. Infection severity was low, with only 1 in every 200 infections progressing to be severe or critical. Only 1 in every 10 infections had been previously diagnosed, which is suggestive of mostly asymptomatic or mild infections.
Keywords: COVID-19; Qatar; SARS-CoV-2; immunity; seroprevalence.
. 2021 May 2;8(8)
fab221.doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofab221. eCollection 2021 Aug.
SARS-CoV-2 Infection Is at Herd Immunity in the Majority Segment of the Population of Qatar
Mohamed H Al-Thani[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Elmoubasher Farag[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Roberto Bertollini[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Hamad Eid Al Romaihi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sami Abdeen[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Ashraf Abdelkarim[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Faisal Daraan[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ahmed Ibrahim Hashim Elhaj Ismail[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Nahid Mostafa[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mohamed Sahl[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Jinan Suliman[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Elias Tayar[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Hasan Ali Kasem[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Meynard J A Agsalog[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Bassam K Akkarathodiyil[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ayat A Alkhalaf[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Mohamed Morhaf M H Alakshar[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Abdulsalam Ali A H Al-Qahtani[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Monther H A Al-Shedifat[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Anas Ansari[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ahmad Ali Ataalla[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Sandeep Chougule[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Abhilash K K V Gopinathan[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Feroz J Poolakundan[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Sanjay U Ranbhise[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Saed M A Saefan[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Mohamed M Thaivalappil[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Abubacker S Thoyalil[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Inayath M Umar[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Zaina Al Kanaani[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Abdullatif Al Khal[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Einas Al Kuwari[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Adeel A Butt[SUP] 2 4 [/SUP], Peter Coyle[SUP] 2 5 6 [/SUP], Andrew Jeremijenko[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Anvar Hassan Kaleeckal[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Ali Nizar Latif[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Riyazuddin Mohammad Shaik[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Hanan F Abdul Rahim[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Hadi M Yassine[SUP] 6 8 [/SUP], Gheyath K Nasrallah[SUP] 6 8 [/SUP], Mohamed Ghaith Al Kuwari[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Odette Chaghoury[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Hiam Chemaitelly[SUP] 11 12 [/SUP], Laith J Abu-Raddad[SUP] 4 11 12 [/SUP], Craft and Manual Workers Seroprevalence Study Group
Collaborators, Affiliations
- PMID: 34458388
- PMCID: PMC8135898
- DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofab221
Abstract
Background: Qatar experienced a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) epidemic that disproportionately affected the craft and manual worker (CMW) population, who comprise 60% of the total population. This study aimed to assess ever and/or current infection prevalence in this population.
Methods: A cross-sectional population-based survey was conducted during July 26 to September 09, 2020, to assess both anti-SARS-CoV-2 positivity through serological testing and current infection positivity through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. Associations with antibody and PCR positivity were identified through regression analyses.
Results: The study included 2641 participants, 69.3% of whom were <40 years of age. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 positivity was 55.3% (95% CI, 53.3%-57.3%) and was significantly associated with nationality, geographic location, educational attainment, occupation, and previous infection diagnosis. PCR positivity was 11.3% (95% CI, 9.9%-12.8%) and was significantly associated with nationality, geographic location, occupation, contact with an infected person, and reporting 2 or more symptoms. Infection positivity (antibody and/or PCR positive) was 60.6% (95% CI, 58.6%-62.5%). The proportion of antibody-positive CMWs who had a prior SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis was 9.3% (95% CI, 7.9%-11.0%). Only seven infections were ever severe, and only 1 was ever critical-an infection severity rate of 0.5% (95% CI, 0.2%-1.0%).
Conclusions: Six in every 10 CMWs in Qatar have been infected, suggestive of reaching the herd immunity threshold. Infection severity was low, with only 1 in every 200 infections progressing to be severe or critical. Only 1 in every 10 infections had been previously diagnosed, which is suggestive of mostly asymptomatic or mild infections.
Keywords: COVID-19; Qatar; SARS-CoV-2; immunity; seroprevalence.