Geographical Profiles of COVID-19 Outbreak in Tokyo: An Analysis of the Primary Care Clinic–Based Point-of-Care Antibody Testing

Abstract

Introduction: The primary care clinic plays a major role in triage for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), where seroprevalence in the setting of primary care clinic remains less clear. As a point-of-care immunodiagnostic test for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the serosurvey represents an alternative to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to measure the magnitude of COVID-19 outbreak in the communities lacking sufficient diagnostic capability for PCR testing. Methods: We assessed seropositivity for the SARS-CoV-2 IgG between April 21 and May 20, 2020, at 2 primary care clinics in Tokyo, Japan. Results: The overall positive percentage of SARS-CoV-2 IgG was 3.83% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.76-5.16) for the entire cohort (n = 1071). The 23 special wards of central Tokyo exhibited a significantly higher prevalence compared with the other areas of Tokyo after classification by residence ( P = .02, 4.68% [3.08-6.79] vs 1.83 [0.68-3.95] in central and suburban Tokyo, respectively). In central Tokyo, the southern area showed the highest seroprevalence compared with the other areas (7.92% [3.48-15.01]), corresponding to the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 patients by PCR test reported by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Conclusion: The seroprevalence surveyed in this study was too low for herd immunity, suggesting the need for robust disease control and prevention. A regional-level approach, rather than state- or prefectural-level, could be of importance in ascertaining detailed profiles of the COVID-19 outbreak.