Development of at-home sample collection logistics for large scale SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence studies

ABSTRACT

In the midst of a pandemic, serologic studies are a valuable tool to understand the course of the outbreak and guide public health and general pandemic management. However, given significant safety constraints including social distancing and stay-at-home orders, sample collection becomes more difficult given traditional phlebotomy protocols. For such studies, a representative sample of the underlying population is paramount to elicit meaningful insights that capture the spread of the infection, particularly when different sub-populations face varying disease burden. We aimed to address these challenges by conducting a fully remote study to investigate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in the state of Massachusetts. Leveraging electronic study engagement and at-home self-collection of finger-prick samples, we enrolled 2,066 participants representative of the ethnic and racial composition of Massachusetts. SARS-CoV-2 total IgG seropositivity was 3.15%, and follow-up measurements at days 7, 15, 45, and 90 indicate a generally durable antibody response. A higher risk of infection was observed for healthcare workers and their cohabitants and those with comorbidities, as well as lower-income, less educated, Hispanic, and those in the age groups of 18-29 and 50-59-years-old. High engagement and positive feedback from the participants and quality of self-collected specimens point to the usefulness of this design for future population-level serological studies that more effectively and safely reach a broad representative cohort, thus yielding more comprehensive insights into the burden of infection and disease in populations. Key pointsO_ST_ABSQuestionC_ST_ABSWe aimed to implement a fully remote seroprevalence study for SARS-CoV-2, leveraging electronic methods and at-home self-collection of specimens to engage a representative study population. FindingsThe population enrolled reflected the ethnic and racial composition of Massachusetts, revealing a SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence of 3.15% and higher risk of previous infection associated with healthcare workers/their cohabitants, those with comorbidities, lower-income, less educated, Hispanic, and those in age groups 18-29 and 50-59 years old. MeaningHigh engagement and positive feedback from participants as well as quality of self-collected specimens point to the usefulness of this design for future population-level serological studies.