Assessing Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies Among US College Students after School Reopening

Abstract

ABSTRACTObjectiveThis study assessed the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies at two timepoints to evaluate the effectiveness of COVID-19 precautions in two colleges.ParticipantsThe study enrolled students, faculty, and staff from Covenant and Geneva Colleges.MethodsDuring the fall of 2020 the Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group partnered with Vibrant America to hand out self-administered finger stick antibody tests at the start of the fall semester and again two months later.ResultsThe study enrolled 305 participants from Covenant and 671 from Geneva College at timepoint 1 and 198 participants from Covenant and 554 from Geneva College at timepoint 2. Seroprevalence rates were 2.3% and 1.6% at timepoint 1, and 0.5% and 3.97% at timepoint 2 at Covenant and Geneva Colleges, respectively.ConclusionThe results of this study suggest that implementation of strict preventive measures may have kept the spread of COVID-19 low at these colleges during the study period.