SARS-CoV-2 antibody dynamics over time and risk factors associated with infection and long COVID-19 symptoms in large working environments
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Background: Factors influencing SARS-CoV-2 antibody dynamics, transmission, waning and long COVID-19 symptomatology are still not fully understood. Methods: In the Danish section of the Novo Nordisk Group, we performed a prospective seroepidemiological study during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. All employees and their household members (>18 years) were invited to participate in a baseline (June–August 2020), 6-month follow-up (December 2020–January 2021), and 12-month follow-up (August 2021) sampling. In total, 18,614 accepted and provided at least one blood sample and completed a questionnaire regarding socioeconomic background, health status, previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, and persistent symptoms. Total antibody and specific IgM, IgG and IgA levels against recombinant receptor binding domain were tested. Results: At baseline, the SARS-CoV-2-antibody seroprevalence was 3.9%. At 6-month follow-up, the seroprevalence was 9.1%, while at 12-month follow-up, the seroprevalence was 94.4% (after the vaccine roll-out). Male sex and younger age (18–40 years) were significant risk factors for seropositivity. From baseline to the 6-month sampling, we observed a substantial waning of IgM, IgG and IgA levels (p < 0.001), regardless of age, sex and initial antibody level. An increased antibody level was found in individuals infected prior to vaccination compared to vaccinated infection naïves (p < 0.0001). Approximately a third of the seropositive individuals reported one or more persistent COVID-19 symptoms, with anosmia and/or ageusia (17.5%) and fatigue (15.3%) being the most prevalent. Conclusion: The study provides a comprehensive insight into SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence following infection and vaccination, waning, persistent COVID-19 symptomatology and risk factors for seropositivity in large working environments.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Journal of Internal Medicine |
Volume | 293 |
Issue number | 6 |
Pages (from-to) | 763-781 |
Number of pages | 19 |
ISSN | 0954-6820 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Internal Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Publication of The Journal of Internal Medicine.
- antibody, infection, long COVID, SARS-CoV-2, transmission, waning, working environment
Research areas
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