scholarly journals Prevalence of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Poznań, Poland, after the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 541
Author(s):  
Dagny Lorent ◽  
Rafal Nowak ◽  
Carolina Roxo ◽  
Elzbieta Lenartowicz ◽  
Aleksandra Makarewicz ◽  
...  

In comparison to other European countries, during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Poland reported a relatively low number of confirmed cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. To estimate the scale of the pandemic in Poland, a serosurvey of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 was performed after the first wave of COVID-19 in Europe (March–May 2020). Within this study, we collected samples from 28 July to 24 September 2020 and, based on the ELISA results, we found that 1.67% (25/1500, 95% CI 1.13–2.45) of the Poznan (Poland) metropolitan area’s population had antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 after the first wave of COVID-19. However, the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies was confirmed with immunoblotting in 56% (14/25) samples, which finally resulted in a decrease in seroprevalence, i.e., 0.93% (14/1500, 95% CI 0.56–1.56). The positive anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG results were associated with age, occupation involving constant contact with people, travelling abroad, non-compliance with epidemiological recommendations and direct contact with the novel coronavirus. Our findings confirm the low SARS-CoV-2 incidence in Poland and imply that the population had little herd immunity heading into the second and third wave of the pandemic, and therefore, that herd immunity contributed little to preventing the high numbers of SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19-related deaths in Poland during these subsequent waves.

Author(s):  
Jyotismita Pathak ◽  
Mridusmita Das ◽  
Khalil Siddique

Background: Today, there is a pressing need to identify the proportion of people immune to the infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) so that public health policies can be formulated accordingly for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Keeping this in mind, we designed a serosurvey in Assam with aims to estimate the prevalence of infection as well as the infection to case ratio of the novel coronavirus in Assam.Methods: A total of 9 districts belonging to three different strata of districts were randomly selected for the study. In these selected districts, blood samples were collected from a sample of population and were checked for the antibodies (IgG type). Those testing reactive for the mentioned antibodies were considered to have been infected ever before the onset of the study.Results: A total of 2390 study subjects were tested for the presence of antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2. The proportion of people harboring antibodies against the infection was found to be 23.7 percent.Conclusions: The serosurvey revealed that the proportion of people having antibodies was lower than that required for attaining herd immunity levels in a population. The case to infection ratios reveal that there is a large chunk of population who didn’t know about their infection.


Author(s):  
Chaim M Roifman ◽  
Linda Vong

The worldwide tally of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections, causing novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), currently approaches 149.7 million (as of April 30, 2021). Canada’s cases amount to 1,211,083 confirmed infections and 24,169 deaths. In the midst of the pandemic and a third wave of infections, programs aimed at widespread vaccination against COVID-19 remain an essential stop-gap to slow the spread of infection and help achieve protective herd immunity. Patients with primary immunodeficiency (PID) have impaired immune responses and may be at greater risk of severe illness due to COVID-19, thus, are strongly recommended to avoid interactions with those outside of their immediate household “bubble”, practice hand hygiene, and wear masks when spending time outside or in enclosed spaces where close contact with other people cannot be avoided. With the ongoing rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations, we provide here recommendations for patients with PID. It is important to note that individuals who are immunocompromised should always consult their immunologist for additional considerations/contraindications when reviewing their suitability for vaccination.


2020 ◽  
Vol 222 ◽  
pp. 259-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabetta Venturini ◽  
Giordano Palmas ◽  
Carlotta Montagnani ◽  
Elena Chiappini ◽  
Francesco Citera ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-157
Author(s):  
Mohammad Mostafa Ansari Ramandi ◽  
Mohammadreza Baay ◽  
Nasim Naderi

The disaster due to the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) around the world has made investigators enthusiastic about working on different aspects of COVID-19. However, although the pandemic of COVID-19 has not yet ended, it seems that COVID-19 compared to the other coronavirus infections (the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome [MERS] and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome [SARS]) is more likely to target the heart. Comparing the previous presentations of the coronavirus family and the recent cardiovascular manifestations of COVID-19 can also help in predicting possible future challenges and taking measures to tackle these issues.


2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 613-620
Author(s):  
Mustafa Amdani, Dr. Swaroopa Chakole

BACKGROUND The expanse of the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 is huge. The impact is multispectral and affected almost all aspects of human life. SUMMARY Respiratory impact of the COVID-19 is the most felt and widely reported impact. As the novel coronavirus maintained its history of affecting lungs as seen previously in severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak. Ventilators and oxygen support system are required mostly in comorbid patients particularly amongpatientsbearing illnesses like asthma, bronchial impairment and so on. CONCLUSION More study needs to be done in order to assess the impact on the respiratory functioning of the body. Respiratory care must be including proper instruments so that more efficient result can be obtained. Research is needed to promote the invention of specific therapy for targeted action for respiratory functioning improvement.


The Analyst ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linlin Zhuang ◽  
Jiansen Gong ◽  
Ming Ma ◽  
Yongxin Ji ◽  
Peilong Tian ◽  
...  

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been surging rapidly around the world, which exposes humanity to unprecedented economic, social and...


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 3275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manoocher Soleimani

Coronaviruses (CoVs), including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and the novel coronavirus disease-2 (SARS-CoV-2) are a group of enveloped RNA viruses that cause a severe respiratory infection which is associated with a high mortality [...]


The Lancet ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 363 (9403) ◽  
pp. 99-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Guan ◽  
JSM Peiris ◽  
B Zheng ◽  
LLM Poon ◽  
KH Chan ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 94 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachele Cagliani ◽  
Diego Forni ◽  
Mario Clerici ◽  
Manuela Sironi

ABSTRACT The novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that recently emerged in China is thought to have a bat origin, as its closest known relative (BatCoV RaTG13) was described previously in horseshoe bats. We analyzed the selective events that accompanied the divergence of SARS-CoV-2 from BatCoV RaTG13. To this end, we applied a population genetics-phylogenetics approach, which leverages within-population variation and divergence from an outgroup. Results indicated that most sites in the viral open reading frames (ORFs) evolved under conditions of strong to moderate purifying selection. The most highly constrained sequences corresponded to some nonstructural proteins (nsps) and to the M protein. Conversely, nsp1 and accessory ORFs, particularly ORF8, had a nonnegligible proportion of codons evolving under conditions of very weak purifying selection or close to selective neutrality. Overall, limited evidence of positive selection was detected. The 6 bona fide positively selected sites were located in the N protein, in ORF8, and in nsp1. A signal of positive selection was also detected in the receptor-binding motif (RBM) of the spike protein but most likely resulted from a recombination event that involved the BatCoV RaTG13 sequence. In line with previous data, we suggest that the common ancestor of SARS-CoV-2 and BatCoV RaTG13 encoded/encodes an RBM similar to that observed in SARS-CoV-2 itself and in some pangolin viruses. It is presently unknown whether the common ancestor still exists and, if so, which animals it infects. Our data, however, indicate that divergence of SARS-CoV-2 from BatCoV RaTG13 was accompanied by limited episodes of positive selection, suggesting that the common ancestor of the two viruses was poised for human infection. IMPORTANCE Coronaviruses are dangerous zoonotic pathogens; in the last 2 decades, three coronaviruses have crossed the species barrier and caused human epidemics. One of these is the recently emerged SARS-CoV-2. We investigated how, since its divergence from a closely related bat virus, natural selection shaped the genome of SARS-CoV-2. We found that distinct coding regions in the SARS-CoV-2 genome evolved under conditions of different degrees of constraint and are consequently more or less prone to tolerate amino acid substitutions. In practical terms, the level of constraint provides indications about which proteins/protein regions are better suited as possible targets for the development of antivirals or vaccines. We also detected limited signals of positive selection in three viral ORFs. However, we warn that, in the absence of knowledge about the chain of events that determined the human spillover, these signals should not be necessarily interpreted as evidence of an adaptation to our species.


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