• D Goldblatt, M Johnson, O Falup-Pecurariu, I Ivaskeviciene, V Spoulou, E Tamm, M Wagner, H J Zar, L Bleotu, R Ivaskevicius, I Papadatou, P Jõgi, J Lischka, Z Franckling-Smith, D Isarova, L Grandjean, and D Zavadska.
• Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK; Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. Electronic address: d.goldblatt@ucl.ac.uk.
• J. Hosp. Infect. 2021 Apr 1; 110: 60-66.

BackgroundHealthcare workers (HCWs) have been disproportionately affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which may be driven, in part, by nosocomial exposure. If HCW exposure is predominantly nosocomial, HCWs in paediatric facilities, where few patients are admitted with COVID-19, may lack antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and be at increased risk during the current resurgence.AimTo compare the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 amongst HCWs in paediatric facilities in seven European countries and South Africa (N=8).MethodsAll categories of paediatric HCWs were invited to participate in the study, irrespective of previous symptoms. A single blood sample was taken and data about previous symptoms were documented. Serum was shipped to a central laboratory in London where SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G was measured.FindingsIn total, 4114 HCWs were recruited between 1st May and mid-July 2020. The range of seroprevalence was 0-16.93%. The highest seroprevalence was found in London (16.93%), followed by Cape Town, South Africa (10.36%). There were no positive HCWs in the Austrian, Estonian and Latvian cohorts; 2/300 [0.66%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.18-2.4] HCWs tested positive in Lithuania; 1/124 (0.81%, 95% CI 0.14-4.3) HCWs tested positive in Romania; and 1/76 (1.3%, 95% CI 0.23-7.0) HCWs tested positive in Greece.ConclusionOverall seroprevalence amongst paediatric HCWs is similar to their national populations and linked to the national COVID-19 burden. Staff working in paediatric facilities in low-burden countries have very low seroprevalence rates and thus are likely to be susceptible to COVID-19. Their susceptibility to infection may affect their ability to provide care in the face of increasing cases of COVID-19, and this highlights the need for appropriate preventative strategies in paediatric healthcare settings.Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

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