Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33592074›Full record

Observational studyPloS one2021

Prospective observational study and serosurvey of SARS-CoV-2 infection in asymptomatic healthcare workers at a Canadian tertiary care center.

Victor H Ferreira, Andrzej Chruscinski, Vathany Kulasingam, Trevor J Pugh, Tamara Dus, Brad Wouters, Amit Oza, Matthew Ierullo, Terrance Ku, Beata Majchrzak-Kita and 17 more

Abstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Transmission of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) from pre and asymptomatic infected individuals: a systematic review.Clinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases · 2022
    Pooled it
  4. COVID-19 Prevention and Control Measures in Workplace Settings: A Rapid Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021
    Pooled it
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in health care workers from 10 hospitals in Quebec, Canada: a cross-sectional study.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2021
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

27 authors.

Victor H FerreiraUniversity Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-1472-9711
Andrzej ChruscinskiUniversity Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Vathany KulasingamUniversity Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Trevor J PughUniversity Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-8073-5888
Tamara DusUniversity Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Brad WoutersUniversity Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Amit OzaUniversity Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Matthew IerulloUniversity Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Terrance KuUniversity Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Beata Majchrzak-KitaUniversity Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Sonika T HumarUniversity Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Ilona BahinskayaUniversity Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Natalia PinzonUniversity Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Jianhua ZhangUniversity Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Lawrence E HeislerOntario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Paul M KrzyzanowskiOntario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Bernard LamOntario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Ilinca M LunguOntario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Dorin ManaseUniversity Health Network Digital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Krista M PaceUniversity Health Network Digital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Pouria MashouriUniversity Health Network Digital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Michael BrudnoUniversity Health Network Digital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Michael GarrelsUniversity Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Tony MazzulliSinai Health System, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Myron CybulskyUniversity Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Atul HumarUniversity Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Deepali KumarUniversity Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Health care workers (HCWs) are at higher risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection and may play a role in transmitting the infection to vulnerable patients and members of the community. This is particularly worrisome in the context of asymptomatic infection. We performed a cross-sectional study looking at asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in HCWs. We screened asymptomatic HCWs for SARS-CoV-2 via PCR. Complementary viral genome sequencing was performed on positive swab specimens. A seroprevalence analysis was also performed using multiple assays. Asymptomatic health care worker cohorts had a combined swab positivity rate of 29/5776 (0.50%, 95%CI 0.32-0.75) relative to a comparative cohort of symptomatic HCWs, where 54/1597 (3.4%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (ratio of symptomatic to asymptomatic 6.8:1). SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among 996 asymptomatic HCWs with no prior known exposure to SARS-CoV-2 was 1.4-3.4%, depending on assay. A novel in-house Coronavirus protein microarray showed differing SARS-CoV-2 protein reactivities and helped define likely true positives vs. suspected false positives. Our study demonstrates the utility of routine screening of asymptomatic HCWs, which may help to identify a significant proportion of infections.

Indexed as

Asymptomatic InfectionsCanadaCOVID-19COVID-19 Nucleic Acid TestingCOVID-19 Serological TestingHealth PersonnelHumansSeroepidemiologic StudiesTertiary Care Centers

Identifiers

PMID33592074
PMCPMC7886177

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.