Cohort Profile: a Longitudinal Regional Cohort Study to Assess COVID-19 Seroprevalence in Blood Donors - Baseline Characteristics of the SeMaCo Study Participants

Overview

Journal BMJ Open

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2023 Apr 18

PMID 37072368

Authors

Robert Pohl

Christoph Stallmann

Pauline Marquardt

Achim J Kaasch

Hans-Gert Heuft

Christian Apfelbacher

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: The SeMaCo study (Serologische Untersuchungen bei Blutspendern des Großraums Magdeburg auf Antikörper gegen SARS-CoV-2), a prospective, longitudinal cohort study with four survey phases spanning 3-5 months each over a period of 22 months, extends the spectrum of seroepidemiological studies in Germany. We present here a careful characterisation of the initial survey phase of the cohort to provide baseline data on infection incidence and obtained from questionnaires, focussing in particular on the attitude towards COVID-19 vaccinations, the vaccination success and the vaccination acceptance.

Participants: A total of 2195 individual blood donors from the donor pool of the blood donation service of the University Hospital Magdeburg were enrolled in the initial survey phase from 20 January 2021 to 30 April 2021. 2138 participants gave sociodemographic/contact data (51.7% male, mean age 44 years) and 2082 participants answered the vaccination questionnaire.

Findings To Date: Out of 2195 participants with antibody results, 1909 (87.0%) were antibody negative. The remaining 286 subjects (13.0%) were either antibody-positive and vaccinated (160/286; 55.9%) or antibody-positive without vaccination information (17/286; 5.9%) or antibody-positive and unvaccinated (109/286; 38.1%). The latter result reflects the rate of true or highly probable SARS-CoV-2 infections in our initial study cohort.

Future Plans: The study primarily aims to measure the prevalence and long-term kinetics of IgG-antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Including the baseline, the study foresees four survey periods of 3-4 months each. At each visit, we will assess the blood donors' attitude towards vaccination, the antibody response following vaccination and/or infection, as well as undesired vaccination effects. We aim to test the same participants during the survey periods by repeated invitations for blood donation to ensure a long-term (follow-up) in as many study participants as possible. After the four survey phases, a longitudinal data set will be created that reflects the course of the antibody levels/frequencies as well as the infection and vaccination incidence.

Trial Registration Number: DRKS00023263.

Citing Articles

Sociodemographic influences on private and professional contact behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany: cross-sectional analysis based on a Regional Blood Donor Cohort.

Pohl R, Stallmann C, Marquardt P, Bank U, Farber J, Scheibler L BMC Res Notes. 2024; 17(1):206.

PMID: 39068489 PMC: 11283687. DOI: 10.1186/s13104-024-06867-9.

Determining the optimal frequency of SARS-CoV-2 regular asymptomatic testing: A randomized feasibility trial in a home care setting.

Butzmann J, Hellriegel-Nehrkorn A, Dilas M, Pohl R, Hellmich M, Apfelbacher C PLoS One. 2024; 19(7):e0303344.

PMID: 38959206 PMC: 11221670. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303344.

Cohort profile: a longitudinal regional cohort study to assess COVID-19 seroprevalence in blood donors - baseline characteristics of the SeMaCo study participants.

Pohl R, Stallmann C, Marquardt P, Kaasch A, Heuft H, Apfelbacher C BMJ Open. 2023; 13(4):e068472.

PMID: 37072368 PMC: 10124278. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-068472.

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