Estimating seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies using three self-reported symptoms: Development of a prediction model based on data from Ischgl, Austria
We report the development of a regression model to predict prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies on a population level based on self-reported symptoms.We assessed participant-reported symptoms in the past twelve weeks, as well as presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies during a study conducted in April 2020 in Ischgl, Austria. We conducted multivariate binary logistic regression to predict seroprevalence in the sample. Participants (n=451) were on average 47.4 years old (SD 16.8) and 52.5% female. SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were found in n=197 (43.7%) participants. In the multivariate analysis, three significant predictors were included: Odds ratios (OR) for the most predictive categories were: cough (OR 3.34, CI 1.70 - 6.58), gustatory/olfactory alterations (OR 13.78, CI 5.90 - 32.17), and limb pain (OR 2.55, CI 1.20 - 6.50). The AUC was 0.773 (95% CI: 0.727-0.820).Our regression model may be used to estimate seroprevalence on a population-level and a web application is being developed to facilitate use of the model.