Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG status among frontline health workers involved in COVID-19 survey at Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India.

Background: Asymptomatic carriers are responsible for the consistent spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the community. The Government of India has deputed house-to-house survey teams to aid in identifying asymptomatic individuals and their susceptible contacts. We selected door-to-door survey teams of a COVID-19 red zone in western India and determined their infectioncontrol practices and anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) immunoglobin G (IgG) status. Materials and Methods: This single-day prospective cross-sectional study was conducted by the Department of Microbiology of a tertiary care hospital of Jodhpur, in collaboration with the Rajasthan State Health Services. Participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding personal protective equipment (PPE) use after written informed consent. Venous blood samples were collected and Kavach enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (J Mitra and Co.) was performed to determine anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG status. Results: Out of the total 39 participants, IgG antibody was detected in four. Of them, three reported mild symptoms in the past. Out of two previously real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) SARS-CoV-2-positive participants, only one had detectable IgG antibodies (Ab) in serum. Cloth mask was used by 24, N95 mask by 11, and surgical masks by four. Conclusion: Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG Abs were detected among four members of house-to-house COVID-19 survey teams in Jodhpur. Most of the team members used cloth masks, whereas the Government of India guidelines has recommended triple-layered surgical masks as minimum essential PPE for healthcare workers in India. More such studies should be conducted to ascertain infection prevention and control practices among such vulnerable frontline workers in our country.

Awareness, Attitude, and Acceptability of Healthcare Workers About COVID-19 Vaccination in Western India.

Introduction In the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, healthcare workers (HCWs) are at the frontline around the world and categorized as a priority group for COVID-19 vaccines. Our study aimed to find out the COVID-19 vaccine awareness, attitude, and acceptance in HCWs in western India. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out between January 14 and January 28, 2021, at a tertiary care hospital located in western India. Data were collected anonymously using Google Forms. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the sociodemographic variables. The knowledge and attitude of HCWs were analyzed using mean and SD. Multivariate analysis was done to find out the association between participants' attitudes with demographic characteristics. Results Of the total health care workers, 498 answered the survey. The mean age of participants was 29.8 years (SD 6.4), and 354 (71.1%) were male. Among the respondents, 445 (89.4%) would accept a COVID-19 vaccine when available. Four-hundred seventy-six (476) HCWs (95.6%) had excellent knowledge regarding COVID-19 and COVID-19-appropriate behavior. The majority of the subjects (399) had a neutral attitude toward COVID-19 vaccination. Health care professionals (doctors and nurses) had higher acceptance for vaccination against COVID-19 than non-professionals. Conclusions The higher rates of COVID-19 vaccine acceptability and the excellent knowledge among HCWs will directly enhance the level and acceptability of vaccine among the general population and will definitely help in reducing the mortality and morbidity related to COVID-19.

COVID-19 seropositivity among non-medical frontline office staff from two cities in Rajasthan, India.

AIMS: The indigenously developed Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-NIV COVID Kavach IgG enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been recommended for seroprevalence among vulnerable populations in India, which provided essential services throughout the lockdown. The staff working in the High Court was one such group. We compared anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG seropositivity among the staff of Jodhpur and Jaipur High Courts, Rajasthan, India. METHODS: Asymptomatic judiciary staff of Jodhpur and Jaipur benches of High Courts were enrolled after informed written consent. A questionnaire was filled and 3-5 ml venous blood was collected from participants. The ICMR-NIV COVID Kavach IgG ELISA and EUROIMMUN IgG ELISA were used for detection of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies. RESULTS: A total of 63 samples (41 from Jodhpur and 22 from Jaipur) were collected between 28th July to 4th August 2020. The overall anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG seroprevalence was found to be 6.35%. Seropositivity was higher among the staff from Jaipur (13.64%) as compared to Jodhpur (2.44%). The Kavach ELISA results were in complete agreement with EUROIMMUN ELISA. The infection control measures were deemed effective. CONCLUSION: Seroprevalence among the staff of Jodhpur High Court was found to be lower than Jaipur, reflecting higher susceptibility to COVID-19 in the former. Many offices worldwide are closed till mid 2020 but need to come up with pre-emptive policies eventually. This study may help to anticipate the possible challenges when other government/private offices start functioning. The infection control practices of one workplace may help formulate guidelines for other offices.