Korea Seroprevalence Study of Monitoring of SARS-COV-2 Antibody Retention and Transmission (K-SEROSMART): findings from national representative sample
- Author:
Jina HAN
1
;
Hye Jin BAEK
;
Eunbi NOH
;
Kyuhyun YOON
;
Jung Ae KIM
;
Sukhyun RYU
;
Kay O LEE
;
No Yai PARK
;
Eunok JUNG
;
Sangil KIM
;
Hyukmin LEE
;
Yoo-Sung HWANG
;
Jaehun JUNG
;
Hun Jae LEE
;
Sung-il CHO
;
Sangcheol OH
;
Migyeong KIM
;
Chang-Mo OH
;
Byengchul YU
;
Young-Seoub HONG
;
Keonyeop KIM
;
Sunjae JUNG
;
Mi Ah HAN
;
Moo-Sik LEE
;
Jung-Jeung LEE
;
Young HWANGBO
;
Hyeon Woo YIM
;
Yu-Mi KIM
;
Joongyub LEE
;
Weon-Young LEE
;
Jae-Hyun PARK
;
Sungsoo OH
;
Heui Sug JO
;
Hyeongsu KIM
;
Gilwon KANG
;
Hae-Sung NAM
;
Ju-Hyung LEE
;
Gyung-Jae OH
;
Min-Ho SHIN
;
Soyeon RYU
;
Tae-Yoon HWANG
;
Soon-Woo PARK
;
Sang Kyu KIM
;
Roma SEOL
;
Ki-Soo PARK
;
Su Young KIM
;
Jun-wook KWON
;
Sung Soon KIM
;
Byoungguk KIM
;
June-Woo LEE
;
Eun Young JANG
;
Ah-Ra KIM
;
Jeonghyun NAM
;
Soon Young LEE
;
Dong-Hyun KIM
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- From:Epidemiology and Health 2023;45(1):e2023075-
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVES:We estimated the population prevalence of antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), including unreported infections, through a Korea Seroprevalence Study of Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Retention and Transmission (K-SEROSMART) in 258 communities throughout Korea.
METHODS:In August 2022, a survey was conducted among 10,000 household members aged 5 years and older, in households selected through two stage probability random sampling. During face-to-face household interviews, participants self-reported their health status, COVID-19 diagnosis and vaccination history, and general characteristics. Subsequently, participants visited a community health center or medical clinic for blood sampling. Blood samples were analyzed for the presence of antibodies to spike proteins (anti-S) and antibodies to nucleocapsid proteins (anti-N) SARS-CoV-2 proteins using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. To estimate the population prevalence, the PROC SURVEYMEANS statistical procedure was employed, with weighting to reflect demographic data from July 2022.
RESULTS:In total, 9,945 individuals from 5,041 households were surveyed across 258 communities, representing all basic local governments in Korea. The overall population-adjusted prevalence rates of anti-S and anti-N were 97.6% and 57.1%, respectively. Since the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has reported a cumulative incidence of confirmed cases of 37.8% through July 31, 2022, the proportion of unreported infections among all COVID-19 infection was suggested to be 33.9%.
CONCLUSIONS:The K-SEROSMART represents the first nationwide, community-based seroepidemiologic survey of COVID-19, confirming that most individuals possess antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 and that a significant number of unreported cases existed. Furthermore, this study lays the foundation for a surveillance system to continuously monitor transmission at the community level and the response to COVID-19.
