Assessment of the seroprevalence and sero-incidence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among Nursing Home (NH) residents and staff in Belgium.
In this longitudinal cohort study, 3036, nursing home (NH) residents (1656) and staff (1380),
spread over 69 nursing homes throughout Belgium will be repeatedly sampled at a 2-month
interval. Seroprevalence and -incidence will be assessed by means of a point-of-care rapid
antibody test with additional collection of a Dry Blood Spot sample for quantitative
detection of immune markers*. Sample collection (capillary blood samples) at baseline (day 0,
week 0) will start in a staggered way, so all baseline samples among the different nursing
homes are collected within the first 21 days after collection of the first sample. Follow-up
sample collection will occur with a 2-month interval in week 8, week 16, week 24, week 32 and
week 40 after the baseline collection of that specific nursing home. At each timepoint,
questionnaires will be taken concerning medical history, clinical outcomes and potential
COVID-19 riskfactors. The recruited NHs will be equally spread across the Belgian territory
according to geographic and demographic characteristics to guarantee general
representativity. Forty-four participants (20 staff, 24 residents) will be randomly included
per nursing home. (* collection of the Dry Blood Spot is part of a sub-study by Ghent
University)
Diagnostic Test: Point-of-care rapid anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody test (Orient Gene Biotech) and Dry Blood Spot collection (Euroimmun)
Bimonthly finger pricks with collection of 1-10 drops of capillary blood for detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 immune markers
Inclusion Criteria:
- residents and staff from Belgian nursing homes
Exclusion Criteria:
- service flat residents
- temporary staff, employed for a period of less then 1 year starting from baseline
collection
Ghent University
Ghent, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium
An De Sutter, Prof. Dr., Principal Investigator
University Ghent