More than a quarter ( em n /em ?=?131) of study participants rated their risk at 50% or higher, whereas only 0.325% ( em n /em ?=?2) had a positive antibody test. the first and second epidemic wave in Germany. We used a questionnaire to assess each individuals exposure risk and his/her own perception of having already been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Results We recruited 619 participants from all sectors, clinical and non-clinical, constituting 70% of the entire staff. The seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was 0.325% (95% confidence interval 0.039C1.168). Self-perceived risk of a previous SARS-CoV-2 contamination decreased with age (odds ratio, 0.81; 95% confidence interval, 0.70C0.93). Having experienced symptoms more than doubled the odds of a high self-perceived risk (odds Donitriptan ratio, 2.18; 95% confidence interval, 1.59C3.00). There was no significant difference in self-perceived risk between men and women. Conclusions Seroprevalence was low among healthcare workers at a large childrens hospital in Germany before the second epidemic wave, and it was much from a level that confers herd immunity. Self-perceived risk of contamination is usually Donitriptan often overestimated. packages for data handling and plotting [25]. Results Between 19 August and 18 September 2020, 619 staff members were recruited, constituting 70.3% of total staff. The response rate varied among the different professions between 51.2% (support staff) and 87.3% (administrative staff). Of the 616 participants who completed the questionnaire, 518 (84.0%) were female, and the median age was 38.5?years (IQR?=?29.00, 50.00). Nurses composed the majority of participants (46.0%), followed by physicians (19.9%), and administrative staff (8.6%). Physicians were on average slightly more youthful than nurses and much older than trainees (median IQR: physicians: 38.0 (32.5, 45.0), nurses: 41.0 (30.0, 52.0), trainees: 22.0 (20.0, 24.3)). The majority of participants (84.2%) had been hired prior to the outbreak of the pandemic in Germany. Symptoms of a respiratory tract contamination at any time since the beginning of the outbreak in Germany were reported by 245 participants (39.9%), and 75 (12.2%) had been to areas or countries considered high risk for SARS-CoV-2 transmission at that time by the German institute for disease control and prevention [26]. 170 participants (27.7%) had previously been tested for SARS-CoV-2 RNA by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on nasopharyngeal throat swabs in March or April 2020, out of Donitriptan whom 4 (0.7%) had a positive result. Previous contact with a person with a known SARS-CoV-2 contamination at work was reported by 64 participants (10.4%), Donitriptan and 41 (64.1%) of these had occurred with Rabbit Polyclonal to ARF6 full PPE, 13 without PPE and at? ?2?m distance for more than 15?min, and 10 without PPE and contact? ?2?m distance. Table ?Table11 details the characteristics of the study population by test results. Table 1 Characteristics of the study populace by test results interquartile range, real-time polymerase chain reaction Central research question Of the 619 screened participants, two experienced a positive serology for SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid IgG antibodies. This implies a prevalence of 0.325%, with a 95% CI of 0.039C1.168. The characteristics of the two positively tested participants are displayed in detail in Table ?Table2.2. All borderline test results for anti-N antibodies experienced unfavorable serologies for anti-S1 antibodies. Table 2 Characteristics of the two participants who tested positive for anti-N antibodies real-time polymerase chain reaction, anti-spike 1 Self-perceived risk of contamination We categorised answers into groups of very low ( ?1%), low (1 to ?20%), medium (20% to ?50%), high (50%), and very high ( ?50%) self-perceived risk, as illustrated in Fig.?2 by professional groups. Open in a separate windows Fig. 2 Distribution of professional groups across categories of their self-perceived risk of having previously been infected with SARS-CoV-2 Self-perceived risk decreased with age, where an increase in age by 10?years reduced the odds of a higher self-perceived risk by 19% (OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.70C0.93). Having experienced symptoms more than doubled the odds of a high self-perceived risk (OR, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.59C3.00). Additionally, the occupation was associated with the self-perceived risk of previous contamination, where compared to physicians all other professional groups.