• Chiara Airoldi, Filippo Patrucco, Fulvia Milano, Daniela Alessi, Andrea Sarro, Maicol Andrea Rossi, Tiziana Cena, Silvio Borrè, and Fabrizio Faggiano.
• Department of Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy.
• Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Mar 24; 18 (7).

BackgroundHealthcare workers (HCWs) have been the key players in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The aim of our study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) IgG anti-bodies.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study among workers of two hospitals and Territorial Medical and Administrative services in Northern Italy. From 8 May to 3 June 2020, 2252 subjects were tested. Seroprevalence and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated for all individuals who were stratified by job title, COVID-19 risk of exposure, direct contact with patients, unit ward, and intensity of care.ResultsMedian age was 50 years, and 72% of subjects were female. The overall seroprevalence was 17.11% [95% CI 15.55-18.67]. Around 20% of healthcare assistants were seropositive, followed by physicians and nurses (16.89% and 15.84%, respectively). HCWs with high risk of exposure to COVID-19 were more frequently seropositive (28.52%) with respect to those with medium and low risks (16.71% and 12.76%, respectively). Moreover, personnel in direct contact had higher prevalence (18.32%) compared to those who did not (10.66%). Furthermore, the IgG were more frequently detected among personnel of one hospital (19.43%).ConclusionThe high seroprevalence observed can be partially explained by the timing and the population seroprevalence; the study was conducted in an area with huge spread of the infection.

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