Israel Zyskind1,2, Avi Z Rosenberg3, Jason Zimmerman2, Hiam Naiditch4, Aaron E Glatt5,6, Abraham Pinter7, Elitza S Theel8, Michael J Joyner9, D Ashley Hill10, Miriam R Lieberman11, Elliot Bigajer12, Daniel Stok13, Elliot Frank14,15, Jonathan I Silverberg16. 1. Department of Pediatrics, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, New York. 2. Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York. 3. Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland. 4. Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut. 5. Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai South Nassau, Oceanside, New York. 6. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York. 7. Public Health Research Institute, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey. 8. Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. 9. Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. 10. ResourcePath, Sterling, Virginia. 11. Department of Dermatology, The State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn. 12. Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York. 13. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York. 14. Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, New Jersey. 15. Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Clifton, New Jersey. 16. Department of Dermatology, George Washington University, Washington, DC.
Abstract
Importance: Data on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) seroprevalence in the United States are still emerging. Objective: To elucidate SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and symptom onset in a culturally linked community across 5 states in the United States. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study included adults (aged ≥18 years) recruited from the orthodox Jewish community across 5 states (California, Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York) in 3 geographically distinct areas of the United States between May 13 and July 6, 2020. Participants completed an online survey and underwent SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing. Main Outcomes and Measures: Seroprevalence and date of symptom onset of SARS-CoV-2. Results: Overall, 9507 adults (mean [SD] age, 39.6 [15.0] years; 3777 [39.7%] women) completed the SARS-CoV-2 survey, of whom 6665 (70.1%) had immunoglobin G anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels assessed. A high seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was observed across all communities, with the highest proportion of positive testing observed in New Jersey (1080 of 3323 [32.5%]) and New York (671 of 2196 [30.6%]). Most individuals with a positive SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobin G antibody test reported a date of symptom-onset between March 9 and March 31, 2020 (California: 135 of 154 [87.7%]; Connecticut: 32 of 34 [94.1%]; Michigan: 44 of 50 [88.0%]; New Jersey: 964 of 1168 [82.5%]; New York: 571 of 677 [84.3%]). This start date was coincident with the Jewish festival of Purim, celebrated March 9 to 10, 2020, with extensive intracommunity spread in the weeks following (mean and mode of peak symptom onset, March 20, 2020), occurring in the absence of strong general and culture-specific public health directives. Conclusions and Relevance: This cross-sectional study of orthodox Jewish adults across the US found that socioculturally bound communities experienced early parallel outbreaks in discrete locations, notably prior to substantive medical and governmental directives. Further research should clarify optimal national, local, community-based, and government policies to prevent outbreaks in social and cultural communities that traditionally gather for holidays, assemblies, and festivals.
Importance: Data on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) seroprevalence in the United States are still emerging. Objective: To elucidate SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and symptom onset in a culturally linked community across 5 states in the United States. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study included adults (aged ≥18 years) recruited from the orthodox Jewish community across 5 states (California, Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York) in 3 geographically distinct areas of the United States between May 13 and July 6, 2020. Participants completed an online survey and underwent SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing. Main Outcomes and Measures: Seroprevalence and date of symptom onset of SARS-CoV-2. Results: Overall, 9507 adults (mean [SD] age, 39.6 [15.0] years; 3777 [39.7%] women) completed the SARS-CoV-2 survey, of whom 6665 (70.1%) had immunoglobin G anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels assessed. A high seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was observed across all communities, with the highest proportion of positive testing observed in New Jersey (1080 of 3323 [32.5%]) and New York (671 of 2196 [30.6%]). Most individuals with a positive SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobin G antibody test reported a date of symptom-onset between March 9 and March 31, 2020 (California: 135 of 154 [87.7%]; Connecticut: 32 of 34 [94.1%]; Michigan: 44 of 50 [88.0%]; New Jersey: 964 of 1168 [82.5%]; New York: 571 of 677 [84.3%]). This start date was coincident with the Jewish festival of Purim, celebrated March 9 to 10, 2020, with extensive intracommunity spread in the weeks following (mean and mode of peak symptom onset, March 20, 2020), occurring in the absence of strong general and culture-specific public health directives. Conclusions and Relevance: This cross-sectional study of orthodox Jewish adults across the US found that socioculturally bound communities experienced early parallel outbreaks in discrete locations, notably prior to substantive medical and governmental directives. Further research should clarify optimal national, local, community-based, and government policies to prevent outbreaks in social and cultural communities that traditionally gather for holidays, assemblies, and festivals.
Authors: Michelle L Holshue; Chas DeBolt; Scott Lindquist; Kathy H Lofy; John Wiesman; Hollianne Bruce; Christopher Spitters; Keith Ericson; Sara Wilkerson; Ahmet Tural; George Diaz; Amanda Cohn; LeAnne Fox; Anita Patel; Susan I Gerber; Lindsay Kim; Suxiang Tong; Xiaoyan Lu; Steve Lindstrom; Mark A Pallansch; William C Weldon; Holly M Biggs; Timothy M Uyeki; Satish K Pillai Journal: N Engl J Med Date: 2020-01-31 Impact factor: 91.245
Authors: Joann G Elmore; Pin-Chieh Wang; Kathleen F Kerr; David L Schriger; Douglas E Morrison; Ron Brookmeyer; Michael A Pfeffer; Thomas H Payne; Judith S Currier Journal: J Med Internet Res Date: 2020-09-10 Impact factor: 5.428
Authors: Ben Kasstan; Louise Letley; Sandra Mounier-Jack; Nicole Klynman; Katherine M Gaskell; Rosalind M Eggo; Michael Marks; Tracey Chantler Journal: Public Health Pract (Oxf) Date: 2022-07-02
Authors: Ben Kasstan; Sandra Mounier-Jack; Louise Letley; Katherine M Gaskell; Chrissy H Roberts; Neil R H Stone; Sham Lal; Rosalind M Eggo; Michael Marks; Tracey Chantler Journal: Vaccine Date: 2022-02-17 Impact factor: 3.641
Authors: Ben Kasstan; Sandra Mounier-Jack; Katherine M Gaskell; Rosalind M Eggo; Michael Marks; Tracey Chantler Journal: Soc Sci Med Date: 2022-08-07 Impact factor: 5.379
Authors: Jonathan I Silverberg; Israel Zyskind; Hiam Naiditch; Jason Zimmerman; Aaron E Glatt; Abraham Pinter; Elitza S Theel; Michael J Joyner; D Ashley Hill; Miriam R Lieberman; Elliot Bigajer; Daniel Stok; Elliot Frank; Avi Z Rosenberg Journal: PLoS One Date: 2022-08-04 Impact factor: 3.752
Authors: Katherine M Gaskell; Marina Johnson; Victoria Gould; Adam Hunt; Neil Rh Stone; William Waites; Ben Kasstan; Tracey Chantler; Sham Lal; Chrissy H Roberts; David Goldblatt; Rosalind M Eggo; Michael Marks Journal: Lancet Reg Health Eur Date: 2021-07