tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Prev Med Rep
. 2021 Oct 8;101594.
doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2021.101594. Online ahead of print.
SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in employees working in non-medical contact-intensive professions in the Netherlands: baseline data from the prospective COco-study
Dymphie Mioch[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sandra Kuiper[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Wouter van den Bijllaardt[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Cornelia H M van Jaarsveld[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Jan Kluytmans[SUP] 2 4 [/SUP], Esther Lodder[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Michel D Wissing[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
COVID-19 has made a global impact since early 2020, requiring characterization of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including transmission risk. The COco-study aims to evaluate the risk for COVID-19 infections in two non-medical contact-intensive professions. COco is a prospective cohort study evaluating SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in hairdressers and hospitality personnel in the province of North-Brabant in the Netherlands, using a total antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Baseline data from June/July 2020 were analyzed. Participants filled out a questionnaire, providing information on demographics, health, work situation, and risk factors for COVID-19. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using logistic regression. In June/July 2020, 497 participants were enrolled: 236 hairdressers, 259 hospitality employees, and two participants worked in both industries. Hospitality staff was more frequently seropositive than hairdressers (14.2% versus 8.0%, respectively; OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1-3.4). Furthermore, a high education level (OR 3.0, 95% CI: 1.7-5.6) and increased alcohol use (OR, 7 glasses per week increment: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.1-1.5) were associated with seropositivity. Of the 56 seropositive participants, 18 (32%) had not experienced any COVID-19 symptoms. The symptoms anosmia/ageusia differed most evidently between seropositive and seronegative participants (53.6% versus 5.7%, respectively; P<0.001 (chi-squared test)). In conclusion, four months after the first identified COVID-19 patient in the Netherlands, employees in the hospitality industry had significantly more frequently detectable SARS-CoV-2 antibodies than hairdressers.
Keywords: COVID-19; COVID-19 Serological Testing; Hairdressers; Hospitality industry; Non-medical contact-intensive profession; SARS-CoV-2; Seroepidemiologic Studies; coronavirus.
. 2021 Oct 8;101594.
doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2021.101594. Online ahead of print.
SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in employees working in non-medical contact-intensive professions in the Netherlands: baseline data from the prospective COco-study
Dymphie Mioch[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sandra Kuiper[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Wouter van den Bijllaardt[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Cornelia H M van Jaarsveld[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Jan Kluytmans[SUP] 2 4 [/SUP], Esther Lodder[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Michel D Wissing[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 34642617
- PMCID: PMC8498780
- DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2021.101594
Abstract
COVID-19 has made a global impact since early 2020, requiring characterization of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including transmission risk. The COco-study aims to evaluate the risk for COVID-19 infections in two non-medical contact-intensive professions. COco is a prospective cohort study evaluating SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in hairdressers and hospitality personnel in the province of North-Brabant in the Netherlands, using a total antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Baseline data from June/July 2020 were analyzed. Participants filled out a questionnaire, providing information on demographics, health, work situation, and risk factors for COVID-19. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using logistic regression. In June/July 2020, 497 participants were enrolled: 236 hairdressers, 259 hospitality employees, and two participants worked in both industries. Hospitality staff was more frequently seropositive than hairdressers (14.2% versus 8.0%, respectively; OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1-3.4). Furthermore, a high education level (OR 3.0, 95% CI: 1.7-5.6) and increased alcohol use (OR, 7 glasses per week increment: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.1-1.5) were associated with seropositivity. Of the 56 seropositive participants, 18 (32%) had not experienced any COVID-19 symptoms. The symptoms anosmia/ageusia differed most evidently between seropositive and seronegative participants (53.6% versus 5.7%, respectively; P<0.001 (chi-squared test)). In conclusion, four months after the first identified COVID-19 patient in the Netherlands, employees in the hospitality industry had significantly more frequently detectable SARS-CoV-2 antibodies than hairdressers.
Keywords: COVID-19; COVID-19 Serological Testing; Hairdressers; Hospitality industry; Non-medical contact-intensive profession; SARS-CoV-2; Seroepidemiologic Studies; coronavirus.