Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-23-2020
Abstract
Introduction
The severe acute respiratory syndrome related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected more than 20 million people worldwide, and the spread is most prevalent in the USA, where California had accounted over 240,000 cases in the initial 5 months of the pandemic. To estimate the number of infected persons in our community, we conducted a cross-sectional study to estimate seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Methods
This cross-sectional study evaluated the presence of immunoglobulin G, antibody for SARS-CoV-2 during the time period of July 15, 2020, to July 27, 2020. Testing was done on serum samples from patients who had visited affiliated outpatient clinics or our emergency department. Additionally, we collected age, gender, ethnicity, race, and location of testing.
Results
Eight hundred sixty-five tests were included in the study. The outpatient clinics cohort accounted for 56% of results and emergency department (ED) contributed 44%. The positive percentage of SARS-CoV-2 test was 9.4% (95% CI: 0.08–0.12). The positivity rates of the outpatient (5.6%) and ED (14.2%) setting differed. The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG was greatest in those that identified as Hispanic/Latino, 18.1% versus 13.4% in other groups. Specifically compared to the non-Hispanic/Latino population, the prevalence was significantly higher, with a relative risk of 2.73 (95% CI: 1.8–4.1), p < 0.0001.
Conclusion
The low antibody positivity rate in the community indicates the need for a vaccine. The Hispanic/Latino patient population should be considered for increased education on preventing transmission and acquisition of COVID-19 as well as being considered as a priority for vaccination once a vaccine is available.
Recommended Citation
Yamaki J, Peled H, Mathews S, et al. Seroprevalence of novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 at a community hospital emergency department and outpatient laboratory in northern Orange County, California. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities 8, 1551–1555 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-020-00918-0
Copyright
Springer
Included in
Community-Based Research Commons, Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Epidemiology Commons, Medicine and Health Commons, Other Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Commons, Other Public Health Commons, Place and Environment Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons
Comments
This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, volume 8, in 2020 following peer review. The final publication may differ and is available at Springer via https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-020-00918-0.
A free-to-read copy of the final published article is available here.
This scholarship is part of the Chapman University COVID-19 Archives.