Prevalence of IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan -implications for the ability to produce long-lasting protective antibodies against SARS-CoV-2

BackgroundIt is to be determined whether people infected with SARS-CoV-2 will develop long-term immunity against SARS-CoV-2 and retain long-lasting protective antibodies after the infection is resolved. This study was to explore to explore the outcomes of IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in four groups of individuals in Wuhan, China. MethodsWe included the following four groups of individuals who received both COVID-19 IgM/IgG tests and RT-PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 from February 29, 2020 to April 29, 2020: 1470 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 from Leishenshan Hospital, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, and Wuhan No. 7 Hospital, 3832 healthcare providers without COVID-19 diagnosis, 19555 general workers, and 1616 other patients to be admitted to the hospital (N=26473). COVID-19 patients who received IgM/IgG tests <21 days after symptom onset were excluded. ResultsIgG prevalence was 89.8% (95% CI 88.2-91.3%) in COVID-19 patients, 4.0% (95% CI 3.4-4.7%) in healthcare providers, 4.6 (95% CI 4.3-4.9 %) in general workers, and 1.0% in other patients (p all <0.001 for comparisons with COVID-19 patients). IgG prevalence increased significantly by age among healthcare workers and general workers. Prevalence of IgM antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 was 31.4% in COVID-19 patients, 1.5% in healthcare providers, 1.3% in general workers, and 0.2% in other patients. ConclusionsVery few healthcare providers had IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, though a significant proportion of them had been infected with the virus. After SARS-CoV-2 infection, people are unlikely to produce long-lasting protective antibodies against this virus. Primary Funding SourcesPart of the study was supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China (2020YFC0845500). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the sponsors. Role of the Funder/SponsorThe sponsors had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; and preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript, and decision to submit the manuscript for publication. Data and code availability statementData and analyses codes are available from the corresponding authors on request. All request for raw and analyzed data and materials will be reviewed by the corresponding authors to verify whether the request is subject to any intellectual property or confidentiality obligations. Access will be granted after a signed data access agreement is attained.