HIGH SARS-COV-2 SEROPREVALENCE IN KARAGANDA, KAZAKHSTAN BEFORE THE LAUNCH OF COVID-19 VACCINATION
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Date
2022-07-27
Authors
Kadyrova, Irina
Yegorov, Sergey
Negmetzhanov, Baurzhan
Kolesnikova, Yevgeniya
Kolesnichenko, Svetlana
Korshukov, Ilya
Akhmaltdinova, Lyudmila
Vazenmiller, Dmitriy
Stupina, Yelena
Kabildina, Naylya
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
PLOS ONE
Abstract
COVID-19 exposure in Central Asia appears underestimated and SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence
data are urgently needed to inform ongoing vaccination efforts and other strategies to
mitigate the regional pandemic. Here, in a pilot serologic study we assessed the prevalence
of SARS-CoV-2 antibody-mediated immunity in a multi-ethnic cohort of public university
employees in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Asymptomatic subjects (n = 100) were recruited
prior to their first COVID-19 vaccination. Questionnaires were administered to capture a
range of demographic and clinical characteristics. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected
for SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR testing. Serological assays were performed to detect spike (S)-
reactive IgG and IgA and to assess virus neutralization. Pre-pandemic samples were used
to validate the assay positivity thresholds. S-IgG and -IgA seropositivity rates among SARSCoV-
2 PCR-negative participants (n = 100) were 42% (95% CI [32.2–52.3]) and 59% (95%
CI [48.8–69.0]), respectively, and 64% (95% CI [53.4–73.1]) of the cohort tested positive for
at least one of the antibodies. S-IgG titres correlated with virus neutralization activity, detectable
in 49% of the tested subset with prior COVID-19 history. Serologically confirmed history
of COVID-19 was associated with Kazakh ethnicity, but not with other ethnic minorities present
in the cohort, and self-reported history of respiratory illness since March 2020. Overall,
SARS-CoV-2 exposure in this cohort was ~15-fold higher compared to the reported all-time
national and regional COVID-19 prevalence, consistent with recent studies of excess infection
and death in Kazakhstan. Continuous serological surveillance provides important
insights into COVID-19 transmission dynamics and may be used to better inform the
regional public health response.
Description
Keywords
Type of access: Open Access, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Karaganda, vaccination
Citation
Kadyrova, I., Yegorov, S., Negmetzhanov, B., Kolesnikova, Y., Kolesnichenko, S., Korshukov, I., Akhmaltdinova, L., Vazenmiller, D., Stupina, Y., Kabildina, N., Ashimova, A., Raimbekova, A., Turmukhambetova, A., Miller, M. S., Hortelano, G., & Babenko, D. (2022). High SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Karaganda, Kazakhstan before the launch of COVID-19 vaccination. PLOS ONE, 17(7), e0272008. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272008