Seroprevalence of SARS CoV-2 in healthcare workers at LTH [COVID-19]
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The seroprevalence of SARS CoV-2 infection in healthcare workers in a large teaching hospital in the North West of England: a point prevalence survey
IRAS ID
287549
Contact name
Robert J Shorten
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 2 months, 6 days
Research summary
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS CoV-2- the virus that causes COVID-19) has spread globally following its first identification in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Studies have shown varying rates of infection in healthcare workers. National data from May 2020 shows increased rates of infection in patient-facing and resident-facing health/social care staff compared to working people in other roles. Analysis of registered deaths has shown that male healthcare workers had a higher death rate from COVID-19 compared to the general working population.\n\nWe are still learning about this new virus and patients’ immune response to infection. One aspect is the production of ’antibodies’, which are small molecules that are made by most patients in response to infections. These can be detected in blood and can tell us who has been infected.\n\nThe Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England asked all hospital trusts to start testing all staff for antibodies to SARS CoV-2 in late May 2020. Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a large teaching hospital on the North West of England with approximately 700 beds and 6,000 staff. We wish to establish how many of our staff have been infected and if any locations in the hospital have higher rates of infections than others. These results will help us to better understand how the virus is transmitted, improve the way that we look after COVID patients in the future, and to keep our staff safe.
REC name
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REC reference
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