Seroprevalence of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Infection among Blood Donors in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Thailand
Keywords:
Seroprevalence, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2Abstract
Background: In Thailand, five months into COVID-19 from the first report case, low prevalence of 0.0043% was reported. At that time, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the SARS-CoV-2 virus was performed only in patients who met the national criteria for COVID-19 PCR evaluation.
Objective: To determine the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 virus in asymptomatic blood donors.
Method: An observational descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Blood Transfusion Service, Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital (BAH), over a two-month period from September 2020 to October 2020. Voluntary blood donors between the ages of 17 and 70 were included. The remaining aliquot of blood from regular serologic collection was utilized to test for total SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Those who tested positive for total SARS-CoV-2 antibody were subsequently asked to return to BAH within 7 days for a nasal swap RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 viral antigen.
Results: A total of 1,550 subjects were enrolled. During the period of the study, COVID-19 vaccine was not available for the participants in the current study. Only two blood donors tested positive for Anti-SARS-CoV2 antibodies (0.13%, 95%CI: 0.04-0.47). The result of an RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 antigen using a nasal sample was undetectable. Both individuals had no history of COVID-19 infection, travel to a high-risk country, or confirmed contact with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients in the past 3 months.
Conclusion: The seroprevalence rate of healthy blood donor in Thailand during year 2020 was 0.13 percents.
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