BACKGROUND: Until now, information on the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Germany has been based mainly on data from the public health offices. It may be assumed that these data do not include many cases of asymptomatic and mild infection. METHODS: We determined seroprevalence over the course of the pandemic in a sequential, multilocal seroprevalence study (MuSPAD). Study participants were recruited at random in seven administrative districts (Kreise) in Germany from July 2020 onward; each participant was tested at two different times 3-5 months apart. Test findings on blood samples were used to determine the missed-case rate of reported infections, the infection fatality rate (IFR), and the association between seropositivity and demographic, socio-economic, and health-related factors, as well as to evaluate the self-reported results of PCR and antigenic tests. The registration number of this study is DRKS00022335. RESULTS: Among non-vaccinated persons, the seroprevalence from July to December 2020 was 1.3-2.8% and rose between February and May 2021 to 4.1-13.1%. In July 2021, 35% of tested persons in Chemnitz were not vaccinated, and the seroprevalence among these persons was 32.4% (07/2021). The surveillance detection ratio (SDR), i.e., the ratio between the true number of infections estimated from seroprevalence and the actual number or reported infections, varied among the districts included in the study from 2.2 to 5.1 up to December 2020 and from 1.3 to 2.9 up to June 2021, and subsequently declined. The IFR was in the range of 0.8% to 2.4% in all regions except Magdeburg, where a value of 0.3% was calculated for November 2020. A lower educational level was associated with a higher seropositivity rate, smoking with a lower seropositivity rate. On average, 1 person was infected for every 8.5 persons in quarantine. CONCLUSION: Seroprevalence was low after the first wave of the pandemic but rose markedly during the second and third waves. The missed-case rate trended downward over the course of the pandemic.
BACKGROUND: Until now, information on the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Germany has been based mainly on data from the public health offices. It may be assumed that these data do not include many cases of asymptomatic and mild infection. METHODS: We determined seroprevalence over the course of the pandemic in a sequential, multilocal seroprevalence study (MuSPAD). Study participants were recruited at random in seven administrative districts (Kreise) in Germany from July 2020 onward; each participant was tested at two different times 3-5 months apart. Test findings on blood samples were used to determine the missed-case rate of reported infections, the infection fatality rate (IFR), and the association between seropositivity and demographic, socio-economic, and health-related factors, as well as to evaluate the self-reported results of PCR and antigenic tests. The registration number of this study is DRKS00022335. RESULTS: Among non-vaccinated persons, the seroprevalence from July to December 2020 was 1.3-2.8% and rose between February and May 2021 to 4.1-13.1%. In July 2021, 35% of tested persons in Chemnitz were not vaccinated, and the seroprevalence among these persons was 32.4% (07/2021). The surveillance detection ratio (SDR), i.e., the ratio between the true number of infections estimated from seroprevalence and the actual number or reported infections, varied among the districts included in the study from 2.2 to 5.1 up to December 2020 and from 1.3 to 2.9 up to June 2021, and subsequently declined. The IFR was in the range of 0.8% to 2.4% in all regions except Magdeburg, where a value of 0.3% was calculated for November 2020. A lower educational level was associated with a higher seropositivity rate, smoking with a lower seropositivity rate. On average, 1 person was infected for every 8.5 persons in quarantine. CONCLUSION: Seroprevalence was low after the first wave of the pandemic but rose markedly during the second and third waves. The missed-case rate trended downward over the course of the pandemic.
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Authors: Daniel Junker; Matthias Becker; Teresa R Wagner; Philipp D Kaiser; Sandra Maier; Tanja M Grimm; Johanna Griesbaum; Patrick Marsall; Jens Gruber; Bjoern Traenkle; Constanze Heinzel; Yudi T Pinilla; Jana Held; Rolf Fendel; Andrea Kreidenweiss; Annika Nelde; Yacine Maringer; Sarah Schroeder; Juliane S Walz; Karina Althaus; Gunalp Uzun; Marco Mikus; Tamam Bakchoul; Katja Schenke-Layland; Stefanie Bunk; Helene Haeberle; Siri Göpel; Michael Bitzer; Hanna Renk; Jonathan Remppis; Corinna Engel; Axel R Franz; Manuela Harries; Barbora Kessel; Berit Lange; Monika Strengert; Gerard Krause; Anne Zeck; Ulrich Rothbauer; Alex Dulovic; Nicole Schneiderhan-Marra Journal: Clin Infect Dis Date: 2022-06-19 Impact factor: 20.999
Authors: Sebastian Einhauser; David Peterhoff; Stephanie Beileke; Felix Günther; Hans-Helmut Niller; Philipp Steininger; Antje Knöll; Klaus Korn; Melanie Berr; Anja Schütz; Simon Wiegrebe; Klaus J Stark; André Gessner; Ralph Burkhardt; Michael Kabesch; Holger Schedl; Helmut Küchenhoff; Annette B Pfahlberg; Iris M Heid; Olaf Gefeller; Klaus Überla; Ralf Wagner Journal: Viruses Date: 2022-05-27 Impact factor: 5.818