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Lohse S, Sternjakob-Marthaler A, Lagemann P, Schöpe J, Rissland J, Seiwert N, Pfuhl T, Müllendorff A, Kiefer LS, Vogelgesang M, Vella L, Denk K, Vicari J, Zwick A, Lang I, Weber G, Geisel J, Rech J, Schnabel B, Hauptmann G, Holleczek B, Scheiblauer H, Wagenpfeil S, Smola S. German federal-state-wide seroprevalence study of 1 st SARS-CoV-2 pandemic wave shows importance of long-term antibody test performance. Commun Med (Lond) 2022; 2:52. [PMID: 35603305 PMCID: PMC9117207 DOI: 10.1038/s43856-022-00100-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Reliable data on the adult SARS-CoV-2 infection fatality rate in Germany are still scarce. We performed a federal state-wide cross-sectional seroprevalence study named SaarCoPS, that is representative for the adult population including elderly individuals and nursing home residents in the Saarland. Methods Serum was collected from 2940 adults via stationary or mobile teams during the 1st pandemic wave steady state period. We selected an antibody test system with maximal specificity, also excluding seroreversion effects due to a high longitudinal test performance. For the calculations of infection and fatality rates, we accounted for the delays of seroconversion and death after infection. Results Using a highly specific total antibody test detecting anti-SARS-CoV-2 responses over more than 180 days, we estimate an adult infection rate of 1.02% (95% CI: [0.64; 1.44]), an underreporting rate of 2.68-fold (95% CI: [1.68; 3.79]) and infection fatality rates of 2.09% (95% CI: (1.48; 3.32]) or 0.36% (95% CI: [0.25; 0.59]) in all adults including elderly individuals, or adults younger than 70 years, respectively. Conclusion The study highlights the importance of study design and test performance for seroprevalence studies, particularly when seroprevalences are low. Our results provide a valuable baseline for evaluation of future pandemic dynamics and impact of public health measures on virus spread and human health in comparison to neighbouring countries such as Luxembourg or France.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Lohse
- Institute of Virology, Saarland University Medical Center, 66421 Homburg, Germany
| | | | - Paul Lagemann
- Institute of Virology, Saarland University Medical Center, 66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Jakob Schöpe
- Institute for Medical Biometry, Epidemiology and Medical Informatics, Saarland University Medical Center, 66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Rissland
- Institute of Virology, Saarland University Medical Center, 66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Nastasja Seiwert
- Institute of Virology, Saarland University Medical Center, 66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Thorsten Pfuhl
- Institute of Virology, Saarland University Medical Center, 66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Alana Müllendorff
- Institute of Virology, Saarland University Medical Center, 66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Laurent S Kiefer
- Institute of Virology, Saarland University Medical Center, 66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Markus Vogelgesang
- Institute of Virology, Saarland University Medical Center, 66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Luca Vella
- Institute of Virology, Saarland University Medical Center, 66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Denk
- Institute of Virology, Saarland University Medical Center, 66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Julia Vicari
- Institute of Virology, Saarland University Medical Center, 66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Anabel Zwick
- Institute of Virology, Saarland University Medical Center, 66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Isabelle Lang
- Institute of Virology, Saarland University Medical Center, 66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Gero Weber
- Physical Geography and Environmental Research, Saarland University, 66125 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Jürgen Geisel
- Central Laboratory, Saarland University Hospital, 66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Jörg Rech
- Ministry of Health, Social Affairs, Women and the Family, 66119 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Bernd Schnabel
- Ministry of Health, Social Affairs, Women and the Family, 66119 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Gunter Hauptmann
- Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Saarland, 66113 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Bernd Holleczek
- Ministry of Health, Social Affairs, Women and the Family, 66119 Saarbrücken, Germany.,Saarland Cancer Registry, 66117 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | | | - Stefan Wagenpfeil
- Institute for Medical Biometry, Epidemiology and Medical Informatics, Saarland University Medical Center, 66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Sigrun Smola
- Institute of Virology, Saarland University Medical Center, 66421 Homburg, Germany.,Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Saarland University Campus, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
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