SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in the urban population of Qatar: An analysis of antibody testing on a sample of 112,941 individuals
Peter V. Coyle,
Hiam Chemaitelly,
Mohamed Ali Ben Hadj Kacem,
Naema Hassan Abdulla Al Molawi,
Reham Awni El Kahlout,
Imtiaz Gilliani,
Nourah Younes,
Ghada Ali A.A. Al Anssari,
Zaina Al Kanaani,
Abdullatif Al Khal,
Einas Al Kuwari,
Adeel A. Butt,
Andrew Jeremijenko,
Anvar Hassan Kaleeckal,
Ali Nizar Latif,
Riyazuddin Mohammad Shaik,
Hanan F. Abdul Rahim,
Gheyath K. Nasrallah,
Hadi M. Yassine,
Mohamed Ghaith Al Kuwari,
Hamad Eid Al Romaihi,
Mohamed H. Al-Thani,
Roberto Bertollini,
Laith J. Abu-Raddad
Affiliations
Peter V. Coyle
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, P.O. Box 3050, Qatar; Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, Doha, P.O. Box 2713, Qatar; Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queens University, Belfast, BT7 1NN United Kingdom; Corresponding author
Hiam Chemaitelly
Infectious Disease Epidemiology Group, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Cornell University, Qatar Foundation - Education City, P.O. Box 24144, Doha, Qatar; World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Disease Epidemiology Analytics on HIV/AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Infections, and Viral Hepatitis, Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar, Cornell University, Qatar Foundation – Education City, Doha, P.O. Box 24144, Qatar
Mohamed Ali Ben Hadj Kacem
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, P.O. Box 3050, Qatar
Naema Hassan Abdulla Al Molawi
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, P.O. Box 3050, Qatar
Reham Awni El Kahlout
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, P.O. Box 3050, Qatar
Imtiaz Gilliani
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, P.O. Box 3050, Qatar
Nourah Younes
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, P.O. Box 3050, Qatar
Ghada Ali A.A. Al Anssari
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, P.O. Box 3050, Qatar
Zaina Al Kanaani
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, P.O. Box 3050, Qatar
Abdullatif Al Khal
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, P.O. Box 3050, Qatar
Einas Al Kuwari
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, P.O. Box 3050, Qatar
Adeel A. Butt
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, P.O. Box 3050, Qatar; Department of Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY 10065, USA
Andrew Jeremijenko
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, P.O. Box 3050, Qatar
Anvar Hassan Kaleeckal
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, P.O. Box 3050, Qatar
Ali Nizar Latif
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, P.O. Box 3050, Qatar
Riyazuddin Mohammad Shaik
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, P.O. Box 3050, Qatar
Hanan F. Abdul Rahim
College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
Gheyath K. Nasrallah
Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, Doha, P.O. Box 2713, Qatar; Department of Biomedical Science, College of Health Sciences, Member of QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
Hadi M. Yassine
Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, Doha, P.O. Box 2713, Qatar; Department of Biomedical Science, College of Health Sciences, Member of QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
Mohamed Ghaith Al Kuwari
Primary Health Care Corporation, Doha, P.O. Box 26555, Qatar
Hamad Eid Al Romaihi
Ministry of Public Health, Doha, P.O. Box 42, Qatar
Mohamed H. Al-Thani
Ministry of Public Health, Doha, P.O. Box 42, Qatar
Roberto Bertollini
Ministry of Public Health, Doha, P.O. Box 42, Qatar
Laith J. Abu-Raddad
Infectious Disease Epidemiology Group, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Cornell University, Qatar Foundation - Education City, P.O. Box 24144, Doha, Qatar; World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Disease Epidemiology Analytics on HIV/AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Infections, and Viral Hepatitis, Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar, Cornell University, Qatar Foundation – Education City, Doha, P.O. Box 24144, Qatar; Department of Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY 10065, USA; Corresponding author
Summary: The study objective was to the assess level of detectable severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in the urban population of Qatar. Antibody testing was performed on residual blood specimens for 112,941 individuals (∼10% of Qatar's urban population) attending for routine/other clinical care between May 12 and September 9, 2020. Seropositivity was 13.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 13.1–13.6%) and was independently associated with sex, age, nationality, clinical care encounter type, and testing date. Median optical density (antibody titer) among antibody-positive persons was 27.0 (range = 1.0–150.0), with higher values associated with age, nationality, clinical care encounter type, and testing date. Seropositivity by nationality was positively correlated with the likelihood of having higher antibody titers (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.85; 95% CI = 0.47–0.96). Less than two in every 10 individuals in Qatar's urban population had detectable antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, suggesting this population is still far from herd immunity and at risk of subsequent infection waves. Higher antibody titer appears to be a biomarker of repeated exposures to the infection.
