Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14279/22712
Title: SARS-CoV-2 population-based seroprevalence studies in Europe: a scoping review
Authors: Grant, Rebecca 
Dub, Timothée 
Andrianou, Xanthi 
Nohynek, Hanna 
Wilder-Smith, Annelies 
Pezzotti, Patrizio 
Fontanet, Arnaud 
Major Field of Science: Medical and Health Sciences
Field Category: Health Sciences
Keywords: Epidemiology;Public health
Issue Date: 1-Apr-2021
Source: BMJ Open, 2021, vol. 11, no. 4, articl. no. e045425
Volume: 11
Issue: 4
Journal: BMJ open 
Abstract: Objectives We aimed to review SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence studies conducted in Europe to understand how they may be used to inform ongoing control strategies for COVID-19. Design Scoping review of peer-reviewed publications and manuscripts on preprint servers from January 2020 to 15 September 2020. Primary measure Seroprevalence estimate (and lower and upper CIs). For studies conducted across a country or territory, we used the seroprevalence estimate and the upper and lower CIs and compared them to the total number of reported infections to calculate the ratio of reported to expected infections. Results We identified 23 population-based seroprevalence studies conducted in Europe. Among 12 general population studies, seroprevalence ranged from 0.42% among residual clinical samples in Greece to 13.6% in an area of high transmission in Gangelt, Germany. Of the eight studies in blood donors, seroprevalence ranged from 0.91% in North-Western Germany to 23.3% in a high-transmission area in Lombardy region, Italy. In three studies which recruited individuals through employment, seroprevalence ranged from 0.5% among factory workers in Frankfurt, Germany, to 10.2% among university employees in Milan, Italy. In comparison to nationally reported cases, the extent of infection, as derived from these seroprevalence estimates, is manyfold higher and largely heterogeneous. Conclusion Exposure to the virus in Europe has not reached a level of infection that would prevent further circulation of the virus. Effective vaccine candidates are urgently required to deliver the level of immunity in the population.
URI: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14279/22712
ISSN: 20446055
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045425
Rights: © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use.
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
Type: Article
Affiliation : Institut Pasteur 
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare 
Italian National Health Institute 
Cyprus University of Technology 
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 
University of Heidelberg 
Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers 
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed
Appears in Collections:Άρθρα/Articles

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