• Hiroshi Fukuda, Kuniaki Seyama, Kanami Ito, Tomohiko Ai, Shuko Nojiri, Satoshi Hori, Mitsuru Wakita, Kaori Saito, Yuka Shida, Rie Nagura, Mayu Hasegawa, Chiaki Kanemoto, Mayumi Tokuhara, Katsunobu Okajima, Yukio Yoshikawa, Narimasa Katsuta, Takamasa Yamamoto, Mayumi Idei, Yuki Horiuchi, Kotoko Yamatani, Shigeki Misawa, Toshio Naito, Takashi Miida, Hiroyuki Sato, Nobutaka Hattori, Yoko Tabe, and Kazuhisa Takahashi.
• Department of General Medicine, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan.
• Sci Rep. 2021 Apr 16; 11 (1): 8380.

AbstractHealthcare workers (HCWs) are highly exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The actual coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation, especially in regions that are less affected, has not yet been determined. This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in HCWs working in a frontline hospital in Tokyo, Japan. In this cross-sectional observational study, screening was performed on consented HCWs, including medical, nursing, and other workers, as part of a mandatory health checkup. The screening test results and clinical characteristics of the participants were recorded. The antibody seroprevalence rate among the 4147 participants screened between July 6 and August 21, 2020, was 0.34% (14/4147). There was no significant difference in the seroprevalence rate between frontline HCWs with a high exposure risk and HCWs working in other settings with a low exposure risk. Of those seropositive for SARS-CoV-2, 64% (9/14) were not aware of any symptoms and had not previously been diagnosed with COVID-19. In conclusion, this study provides insights into the extent of infection and immune status in HCWs in Japan, which has a relatively low prevalence of COVID-19. Our findings aid in formulating public health policies to control virus spread in regions with low-intensity COVID-19.

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