Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 seroprevalence survey among 10,256 workers in Kuwait

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has emerged as a global pandemic Seroprevalence surveillance is urgently needed to estimate and monitor the growing burden of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) The aim of this study is to estimate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among worker population residing in areas under lockdown in Kuwait and investigated their risk factors associated with a positive status From April 18 to May 10, 2020 a randomly sampled, worker-based survey was conducted in 7 governorate in Kuwait (Ahmadi, Farwaniya, Hawali, Asma, Jahra, and Mubarak Alkabeer) among 10,256 workers SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM antibodies was assessed using a commercially point-of-care lateral flow immunoassay (Biozek medical COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test Cassette) We estimated an overall seroprevalence (IgG or IgM positive) of 5 9% (95% CI: 5 4–6 3) Notably, SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity was significantly higher in males (6 2%) than females (1 9%) (p<0 001) Furthermore, the seroprevalence was significantly different by age group, governorate, and nationality of the workers These results highlighted that the relatively low prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in hotspot areas in a specific population Thus, we emphasize to repeat the serosurvey in the general population to assess the magnitude of viral spread and monitor the growing burden of COVID-19 in Kuwait