Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant, infection rates, antibody seroconversion and seroprevalence rates in secondary school students and staff: active prospective surveillance, December 2020 to March 2021, England

Shamez N. Ladhani; Georgina Ireland; Frances Baawuah; Joanne Beckmann; Ifeanyichukwu O Okike; Shazaad Ahmad; Joanna Garstang; Andrew J Brent; Bernadette Brent; Felicity Aiano; Zahin Amin-Chowdhury; Meaghan Kall; Ray Borrow; Ezra Linley; Maria Zambon; John Poh; Lenesha Warrener; Angie Lackenby; Joanna Ellis; Gayatri Amirthalingam; Kevin E Brown; Mary E Ramsay

doi:10.1016/j.jinf.2021.08.019

Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant, infection rates, antibody seroconversion and seroprevalence rates in secondary school students and staff: active prospective surveillance, December 2020 to March 2021, England

Shamez N. Ladhani, Georgina Ireland, Frances Baawuah, Joanne Beckmann, Ifeanyichukwu O Okike, Shazaad Ahmad, Joanna Garstang, Andrew J Brent, Bernadette Brent, Felicity Aiano, Zahin Amin-Chowdhury, Meaghan Kall, Ray Borrow, Ezra Linley, Maria Zambon, John Poh, Lenesha Warrener, Angie Lackenby, Joanna Ellis, Gayatri AmirthalingamKevin E Brown, Mary E Ramsay

Applied Health Research

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Objectives: We assessed SARS-CoV-2 infection, seroprevalence and seroconversion in students and staff when secondary schools reopened in March 2021.

Methods: We initiated SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in 18 secondary schools across six regions in September 2020. Participants provided nasal swabs for RT-PCR and blood samples for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies at the beginning (September 2020) and end (December 2020) of the autumn term and at the start of the spring term (March 2021).

Findings: In March 2021, 1895 participants (1100 students:795 staff) were tested; 5.6% (61/1094) students and 4.4% (35/792) staff had laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection from December 2020-March 2021. Nucleoprotein-antibody seroprevalence was 36.3% (370/1018) in students and 31.9% (245/769) in staff, while spike-antibody prevalence was 39.5% (402/1018) and 59.8% (459/769), respectively, similar to regional community seroprevalence. Between December 2020 and March 2021, 14.8% (97/656; 95%CI: 12.2-17.7) students and 10.0% (59/590; 95%CI: 7.7-12.7) staff seroconverted. Weekly seroconversion rates were similar from September to December 2020 (8.0/1000) and from December 2020 to March 2021 (7.9/1000; students: 9.3/1,000; staff: 6.3/1,000).

Interpretation: By March 2021, a third of secondary school students and staff had evidence of prior infection based on N-antibody seropositivity, and an additional third of staff had evidence of vaccine-induced immunity based on S-antibody seropositivity.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	573-580
Journal	Journal of Infection
Volume	83
Issue number	5
Early online date	13 Aug 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2021.08.019
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 13 Aug 2021

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Ladhani, S. N., Ireland, G., Baawuah, F., Beckmann, J., Okike, I. O., Ahmad, S., Garstang, J., Brent, A. J., Brent, B., Aiano, F., Amin-Chowdhury, Z., Kall, M., Borrow, R., Linley, E., Zambon, M., Poh, J., Warrener, L., Lackenby, A., Ellis, J., ... Ramsay, M. E. (2021). Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant, infection rates, antibody seroconversion and seroprevalence rates in secondary school students and staff: active prospective surveillance, December 2020 to March 2021, England. Journal of Infection, 83(5), 573-580. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2021.08.019

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title = "Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant, infection rates, antibody seroconversion and seroprevalence rates in secondary school students and staff: active prospective surveillance, December 2020 to March 2021, England",

abstract = "Objectives: We assessed SARS-CoV-2 infection, seroprevalence and seroconversion in students and staff when secondary schools reopened in March 2021.Methods: We initiated SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in 18 secondary schools across six regions in September 2020. Participants provided nasal swabs for RT-PCR and blood samples for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies at the beginning (September 2020) and end (December 2020) of the autumn term and at the start of the spring term (March 2021).Findings: In March 2021, 1895 participants (1100 students:795 staff) were tested; 5.6% (61/1094) students and 4.4% (35/792) staff had laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection from December 2020-March 2021. Nucleoprotein-antibody seroprevalence was 36.3% (370/1018) in students and 31.9% (245/769) in staff, while spike-antibody prevalence was 39.5% (402/1018) and 59.8% (459/769), respectively, similar to regional community seroprevalence. Between December 2020 and March 2021, 14.8% (97/656; 95%CI: 12.2-17.7) students and 10.0% (59/590; 95%CI: 7.7-12.7) staff seroconverted. Weekly seroconversion rates were similar from September to December 2020 (8.0/1000) and from December 2020 to March 2021 (7.9/1000; students: 9.3/1,000; staff: 6.3/1,000).Interpretation: By March 2021, a third of secondary school students and staff had evidence of prior infection based on N-antibody seropositivity, and an additional third of staff had evidence of vaccine-induced immunity based on S-antibody seropositivity.",

author = "Ladhani, {Shamez N.} and Georgina Ireland and Frances Baawuah and Joanne Beckmann and Okike, {Ifeanyichukwu O} and Shazaad Ahmad and Joanna Garstang and Brent, {Andrew J} and Bernadette Brent and Felicity Aiano and Zahin Amin-Chowdhury and Meaghan Kall and Ray Borrow and Ezra Linley and Maria Zambon and John Poh and Lenesha Warrener and Angie Lackenby and Joanna Ellis and Gayatri Amirthalingam and Brown, {Kevin E} and Ramsay, {Mary E}",

year = "2021",

month = aug,

day = "13",

doi = "10.1016/j.jinf.2021.08.019",

language = "English",

volume = "83",

pages = "573--580",

journal = "Journal of Infection",

issn = "0163-4453",

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Ladhani, SN, Ireland, G, Baawuah, F, Beckmann, J, Okike, IO, Ahmad, S, Garstang, J, Brent, AJ, Brent, B, Aiano, F, Amin-Chowdhury, Z, Kall, M, Borrow, R, Linley, E, Zambon, M, Poh, J, Warrener, L, Lackenby, A, Ellis, J, Amirthalingam, G, Brown, KE & Ramsay, ME 2021, 'Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant, infection rates, antibody seroconversion and seroprevalence rates in secondary school students and staff: active prospective surveillance, December 2020 to March 2021, England', Journal of Infection, vol. 83, no. 5, pp. 573-580. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2021.08.019

Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant, infection rates, antibody seroconversion and seroprevalence rates in secondary school students and staff: active prospective surveillance, December 2020 to March 2021, England. / Ladhani, Shamez N.; Ireland, Georgina; Baawuah, Frances et al.
In: Journal of Infection, Vol. 83, No. 5, 13.08.2021, p. 573-580.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant, infection rates, antibody seroconversion and seroprevalence rates in secondary school students and staff

T2 - active prospective surveillance, December 2020 to March 2021, England

AU - Ladhani, Shamez N.

AU - Ireland, Georgina

AU - Baawuah, Frances

AU - Beckmann, Joanne

AU - Okike, Ifeanyichukwu O

AU - Ahmad, Shazaad

AU - Garstang, Joanna

AU - Brent, Andrew J

AU - Brent, Bernadette

AU - Aiano, Felicity

AU - Amin-Chowdhury, Zahin

AU - Kall, Meaghan

AU - Borrow, Ray

AU - Linley, Ezra

AU - Zambon, Maria

AU - Poh, John

AU - Warrener, Lenesha

AU - Lackenby, Angie

AU - Ellis, Joanna

AU - Amirthalingam, Gayatri

AU - Brown, Kevin E

AU - Ramsay, Mary E

PY - 2021/8/13

Y1 - 2021/8/13

N2 - Objectives: We assessed SARS-CoV-2 infection, seroprevalence and seroconversion in students and staff when secondary schools reopened in March 2021.Methods: We initiated SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in 18 secondary schools across six regions in September 2020. Participants provided nasal swabs for RT-PCR and blood samples for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies at the beginning (September 2020) and end (December 2020) of the autumn term and at the start of the spring term (March 2021).Findings: In March 2021, 1895 participants (1100 students:795 staff) were tested; 5.6% (61/1094) students and 4.4% (35/792) staff had laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection from December 2020-March 2021. Nucleoprotein-antibody seroprevalence was 36.3% (370/1018) in students and 31.9% (245/769) in staff, while spike-antibody prevalence was 39.5% (402/1018) and 59.8% (459/769), respectively, similar to regional community seroprevalence. Between December 2020 and March 2021, 14.8% (97/656; 95%CI: 12.2-17.7) students and 10.0% (59/590; 95%CI: 7.7-12.7) staff seroconverted. Weekly seroconversion rates were similar from September to December 2020 (8.0/1000) and from December 2020 to March 2021 (7.9/1000; students: 9.3/1,000; staff: 6.3/1,000).Interpretation: By March 2021, a third of secondary school students and staff had evidence of prior infection based on N-antibody seropositivity, and an additional third of staff had evidence of vaccine-induced immunity based on S-antibody seropositivity.

AB - Objectives: We assessed SARS-CoV-2 infection, seroprevalence and seroconversion in students and staff when secondary schools reopened in March 2021.Methods: We initiated SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in 18 secondary schools across six regions in September 2020. Participants provided nasal swabs for RT-PCR and blood samples for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies at the beginning (September 2020) and end (December 2020) of the autumn term and at the start of the spring term (March 2021).Findings: In March 2021, 1895 participants (1100 students:795 staff) were tested; 5.6% (61/1094) students and 4.4% (35/792) staff had laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection from December 2020-March 2021. Nucleoprotein-antibody seroprevalence was 36.3% (370/1018) in students and 31.9% (245/769) in staff, while spike-antibody prevalence was 39.5% (402/1018) and 59.8% (459/769), respectively, similar to regional community seroprevalence. Between December 2020 and March 2021, 14.8% (97/656; 95%CI: 12.2-17.7) students and 10.0% (59/590; 95%CI: 7.7-12.7) staff seroconverted. Weekly seroconversion rates were similar from September to December 2020 (8.0/1000) and from December 2020 to March 2021 (7.9/1000; students: 9.3/1,000; staff: 6.3/1,000).Interpretation: By March 2021, a third of secondary school students and staff had evidence of prior infection based on N-antibody seropositivity, and an additional third of staff had evidence of vaccine-induced immunity based on S-antibody seropositivity.

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Ladhani SN, Ireland G, Baawuah F, Beckmann J, Okike IO, Ahmad S et al. Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant, infection rates, antibody seroconversion and seroprevalence rates in secondary school students and staff: active prospective surveillance, December 2020 to March 2021, England. Journal of Infection. 2021 Aug 13;83(5):573-580. Epub 2021 Aug 13. doi: 10.1016/j.jinf.2021.08.019