Seropositivity of SARS-CoV-2 IgG Antibody among People in Dhaka City during the Prevaccination Period

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) immunoglobulin G (IgG) detection can be an effective complementary tool to the reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test in estimating the true burden of coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19) and can serve as baseline data, especially after the roll-out of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. In this study, we aim to determine the seropositivity of SARS-CoV-2 IgG among people in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Volunteers, mostly asymptomatic people from Dhaka, were enrolled between October 2020 and February 2021. After obtaining participants’ signed consents, blood samples were tested for SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody, following the standard protocol of testing within 72 hours of collection. SARS-CoV-2 IgG was positive in 42% (101/239) of the cases. No difference was observed in terms of IgG positivity and IgG levels when stratified by age, gender, and blood group. However, RT-PCR-positive cases presented higher IgG levels compared to RT-PCR-negative/RT-PCR-not performed cases. SARS-CoV-2 IgG was found in 31% (32/102) and 28% (19/67) of RT-PCR-negative and RT-PCR-not performed cases, respectively. For RT-PCR-positive but SARS-CoV-2 IgG-negative cases ( $n=13$ ), the average time gap between the RT-PCR and SARS-CoV-2 IgG tests of six months indicates a gradual reduction of IgG. Eight cases for which samples were tested at two time points, three months apart, showed presented a decline in IgG levels with time (median IgG index of 2.55 in the first sample versus 1.22 in the second sample). Our findings reveal that several mild/asymptomatic cases that were RT-PCR-negative/not tested exist in the community, and IgG levels reduce in the human body over time.