COVID immunity in the Angolan population: Serological study with Abbott COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test and serological mini VIDAS BIOMERIEUX test

Abstract

Background: The numbers of severe COVID cases and COVID-related deaths on the African continent are lower than expected. We hypothesize that this paradox may be due to the achieved immunity in black Africans. Materials and Methods: A prospective study was conducted on Angolan people who performed the Panbio Abbott COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test in a health unit in Luanda. One hundred randomly selected subjects in those with positive immunoglobulin G (IgG) underwent the serological mini VIDAS BIOMERIEUX test. Results: In our population study (2409 subjects), 791 (32.83%) had positive IgG at the Panbio Abbott COVID-19 test. One hundred were randomly selected. The mean age was 39.55, and 96% were males. The positivity to IgG was validated in 72 subjects at the mini VIDAS BIOMERIEUX test. Conclusion: These results support our hypothesis that in the Angolan/African population a previously achieved immunity may be one of the reasons why this continent was not affected by COVID-19 as expected.

Keywords

• angolan
• covid-19
• covid-19 test
• igg serology
• igm serology
• immunity