Universität zu Köln

Kindgen-Milles, Detlef, Brandenburger, Timo, Braun, Julian F. W., Cleff, Corvin, Moussazadeh, Kian, Mrosewski, Ingo ORCID: 0000-0001-8824-5990, Timm, Joerg and Wetzchewald, Dietmar (2021). Prevalence of SARS-COV-2 positivity in 516 German intensive care and emergency physicians studied by seroprevalence of antibodies National Covid Survey Germany (NAT-COV-SURV). PLoS One, 16 (4). SAN FRANCISCO: PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE. ISSN 1932-6203

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Abstract

Healthcare personnel are at risk to aquire the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We evaluated the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and positive nasopharyngeal reverse transcriptase polymerase-chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests in German intensive care and emergency physicians. Physicians attending intensive care and emergency medicine training courses between June 16(th) and July 2(nd) 2020 answered a questionnaire and were screened for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies via automated electrochemiluminiscence immunoassay. We recruited 516 physicans from all parts of Germany, 445/516 (86%) worked in high risk areas, and 379/516 (73%) had treated patients with COVID-19. The overall positive rate was 18/516 (3.5%), 16/18 (89%) had antibodies against SARS-COV-2, another 2 reported previous positive RT-PCR results although antibody testing was negative. Of those positive, 7/18 (39%) were unaware of their infection. A stay abroad was stated by 173/498 (35%), mostly in Europe. 87/516 (17%) reported a febrile respiratory infection after January 1(st) 2020 which was related to SARS-CoV-2 in 4/87 (4.6%). Contact to COVID-19 positive relatives at home was stated by 22/502 (4.4%). This was the only significant risk factor for Covid-19 infection (Fisher ' s exact test, p = 0.0005). N95 masks and eye protection devices were available for 87% and 73%, respectively. A total of 254/502 (51%) had been vaccinated against seasonal influenza. The overall SARS-CoV-2 infection rate of german physicians from intensive care and emergency medicine was low compared to reports from other countries and settings. This finding may be explained by the fact that the German health care system was not overwhelmed by the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Kindgen-Milles, Detlef UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Brandenburger, Timo UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Braun, Julian F. W. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Cleff, Corvin UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Moussazadeh, Kian UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Mrosewski, Ingo UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0001-8824-5990 UNSPECIFIED Timm, Joerg UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Wetzchewald, Dietmar UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-584538
DOI:	10.1371/journal.pone.0248813
Journal or Publication Title:	PLoS One
Volume:	16
Number:	4
Date:	2021
Publisher:	PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
Place of Publication:	SAN FRANCISCO
ISSN:	1932-6203
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language Multidisciplinary Sciences Multiple languages
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/58453