• Sombo Fwoloshi, Jonas Z Hines, Danielle T Barradas, Samuel Yingst, Mpanji Siwingwa, Lameck Chirwa, James E Zulu, Dabwitso Banda, Adam Wolkon, Kotey I Nikoi, Bob Chirwa, Davies Kampamba, Aaron Shibemba, Suilanji Sivile, Khozya D Zyambo, Duncan Chanda, Francis Mupeta, Muzala Kapina, Nyambe Sinyange, Nathan Kapata, Paul M Zulu, Alex Makupe, Aggrey Mweemba, Nyuma Mbewe, Luunga Ziko, Victor Mukonka, Lloyd B Mulenga, Kennedy Malama, and Simon Agolory.
• Zambia Ministry of Health, Lusaka, Zambia.
• Clin. Infect. Dis. 2021 Sep 15; 73 (6): e1321-e1328.

BackgroundHealthcare workers (HCWs) in Zambia have become infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, SARS-CoV-2 prevalence among HCWs is not known in Zambia.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional SARS-CoV-2 prevalence survey among Zambian HCWs in 20 health facilities in 6 districts in July 2020. Participants were tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Prevalence estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusted for health facility clustering, were calculated for each test separately, and a combined measure for those who had PCR and ELISA was performed.ResultsIn total, 660 HCWs participated in the study, with 450 (68.2%) providing a nasopharyngeal swab for PCR and 575 (87.1%) providing a blood specimen for ELISA. Sixty-six percent of participants were females, and median age was 31.5 years (interquartile range, 26.2-39.8). The overall prevalence of the combined measure was 9.3% (95% CI, 3.8%-14.7%). PCR-positive prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 was 6.6% (95% CI, 2.0%-11.1%), and ELISA-positive prevalence was 2.2% (95% CI, .5%-3.9%).ConclusionsSARS-CoV-2 prevalence among HCWs was similar to a population-based estimate (10.6%) during a period of community transmission in Zambia. Public health measures such as establishing COVID-19 treatment centers before the first cases, screening for COVID-19 symptoms among patients who access health facilities, infection prevention and control trainings, and targeted distribution of personal protective equipment based on exposure risk might have prevented increased SARS-CoV-2 transmission among Zambian HCWs.© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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