tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Epidemiol Health
. 2023 Aug 17;e2023075.
doi: 10.4178/epih.e2023075. Online ahead of print. Korea Seroprevalence Study of Monitoring of SARS-COV-2 Antibody Retention and Transmission (K-Sero SMART): findings from national representative sample
Jina Han[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Hye Jin Baek[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Eunbi Noh[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Kyuhyun Yoon[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Jung Ae Kim[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Sukhyun Ryu[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Kay O Lee[SUP] 6 [/SUP], No Yai Park[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Eunok Jung[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Sangil Kim[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Hyukmin Lee[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Yoo-Sung Hwang[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Jaehun Jung[SUP] 12 [/SUP], Hun Jae Lee[SUP] 13 [/SUP], Sung-Il Cho[SUP] 14 [/SUP], Sangcheol Oh[SUP] 15 [/SUP], Migyeong Kim[SUP] 16 [/SUP], Chang-Mo Oh[SUP] 17 [/SUP], Byengchul Yu[SUP] 18 [/SUP], Young-Seoub Hong[SUP] 19 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Objectives: We estimated the population prevalence of antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), including unreported infections, through a Seroprevalence Study of Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Retention and Transmission (K-SMART) in 258 communities throughout Korea.
Methods: In August 2022, a survey was conducted among 10,000 household members aged 5 years and older, in households selected through two stage probability random sampling. During face-to-face household interviews, participants self-reported their health status, COVID-19 diagnosis and vaccination history, and general characteristics. Subsequently, participants visited a community health center or medical clinic for blood sampling. Blood samples were analyzed for the presence of anti-spike (anti-S) and anti-nucleocapsid (anti-N) SARS-CoV-2 proteins using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. To estimate the population prevalence, the PROC SURVEYMEANS statistical procedure was employed, with weighting to reflect demographic data from July 2022.
Results: In total, 9,945 individuals from 5,041 households were surveyed across 258 communities, representing all basic local governments in South Korea. The overall population-adjusted prevalence rates of anti-S and anti-N were 97.6% and 57.1%, respectively. Since the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has reported a cumulative incidence of confirmed cases of 37.8% through July 31, 2022, the proportion of unreported infections among all COVID-19 infection was suggested to be 33.9%.
Conclusion: The K-SMART represents the first nationwide, community-based seroepidemiologic survey of COVID-19, confirming that most individuals possess antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 and that a significant number of unreported cases existed. Furthermore, this study lays the foundation for a surveillance system to continuously monitor transmission at the community level and the response to COVID-19.
Keywords: COVID-19; Probability sample; community health survey; seroepidemiologic studies.
. 2023 Aug 17;e2023075.
doi: 10.4178/epih.e2023075. Online ahead of print. Korea Seroprevalence Study of Monitoring of SARS-COV-2 Antibody Retention and Transmission (K-Sero SMART): findings from national representative sample
Jina Han[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Hye Jin Baek[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Eunbi Noh[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Kyuhyun Yoon[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Jung Ae Kim[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Sukhyun Ryu[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Kay O Lee[SUP] 6 [/SUP], No Yai Park[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Eunok Jung[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Sangil Kim[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Hyukmin Lee[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Yoo-Sung Hwang[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Jaehun Jung[SUP] 12 [/SUP], Hun Jae Lee[SUP] 13 [/SUP], Sung-Il Cho[SUP] 14 [/SUP], Sangcheol Oh[SUP] 15 [/SUP], Migyeong Kim[SUP] 16 [/SUP], Chang-Mo Oh[SUP] 17 [/SUP], Byengchul Yu[SUP] 18 [/SUP], Young-Seoub Hong[SUP] 19 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 37591786
- DOI: 10.4178/epih.e2023075
Objectives: We estimated the population prevalence of antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), including unreported infections, through a Seroprevalence Study of Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Retention and Transmission (K-SMART) in 258 communities throughout Korea.
Methods: In August 2022, a survey was conducted among 10,000 household members aged 5 years and older, in households selected through two stage probability random sampling. During face-to-face household interviews, participants self-reported their health status, COVID-19 diagnosis and vaccination history, and general characteristics. Subsequently, participants visited a community health center or medical clinic for blood sampling. Blood samples were analyzed for the presence of anti-spike (anti-S) and anti-nucleocapsid (anti-N) SARS-CoV-2 proteins using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. To estimate the population prevalence, the PROC SURVEYMEANS statistical procedure was employed, with weighting to reflect demographic data from July 2022.
Results: In total, 9,945 individuals from 5,041 households were surveyed across 258 communities, representing all basic local governments in South Korea. The overall population-adjusted prevalence rates of anti-S and anti-N were 97.6% and 57.1%, respectively. Since the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has reported a cumulative incidence of confirmed cases of 37.8% through July 31, 2022, the proportion of unreported infections among all COVID-19 infection was suggested to be 33.9%.
Conclusion: The K-SMART represents the first nationwide, community-based seroepidemiologic survey of COVID-19, confirming that most individuals possess antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 and that a significant number of unreported cases existed. Furthermore, this study lays the foundation for a surveillance system to continuously monitor transmission at the community level and the response to COVID-19.
Keywords: COVID-19; Probability sample; community health survey; seroepidemiologic studies.