• I Rukasha, S T S Pheeha, M R Lekalakala, and P Malope.
• Division of Medical Microbiology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Limpopo, South Africa; Department of Medical Microbiology, National Health Laboratory Services, Polokwane, South Africa. ivy.rukasha@ul.ac.za.
• S. Afr. Med. J. 2024 Mar 18; 114 (3): e702e702.

BackgroundCOVID-19 has been a major public health concern globally, leading to a higher mortality rate, especially among immunosuppressed individuals, who include pregnant women, people with HIV and people living with other comorbidities. Pregnant women are considered to be a special population group owing to their specific susceptibility to some infectious diseases.ObjectiveTo determine the seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among pregnant women attending an antenatal clinic.MethodThis was a descriptive cross-sectional study that tested blood samples from pregnant women who attended the antenatal clinic from March to July 2022 using the Orient Gene Biotech lateral flow immune-chromatographic assay according to manufacturer instructions. The assay detects IgM and IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.ResultsA total of 2 649 blood samples were tested; 2 039 (77.0%) samples tested positive for IgG, 7 (0.3%) tested positive for IgM, and 100 (3.7%) tested positive for both IgG and IgM. The study found a seroprevalence of 80.7% of IgG.ConclusionThe study findings showed evidence of acute COVID-19 infection in our patient population despite the consensus that COVID-19 infection is dissipating.

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