Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41214282›Full record

ArticleCanadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique2026

Comparability of Canadian SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence estimates with statistical adjustment for socio-demographic representation.

Yuan Yu, Jiacheng Chen, Matthew J Knight, Sheila F O'Brien, David L Buckeridge, Carmen L Charlton, W Alton Russell

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Yuan YuSchool of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Jiacheng ChenSchool of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Matthew J KnightSchool of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Sheila F O'BrienCanadian Blood Services, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
David L BuckeridgeSchool of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Carmen L CharltonCanadian Blood Services, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
W Alton RussellSchool of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. alton.russell@mcgill.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1780-4470

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveSARS-CoV-2 serological surveillance used blood donors, research cohorts, and residual patient samples. Differences in socio-demographic characteristics across these sources may bias seroprevalence estimates, necessitating statistical adjustment.

methodsWe re-analyzed data from six serosurveillance sources, comparing the estimated percent of the population positive for SARS-CoV-2 anti-nucleocapsid antibodies for six regions during periods when the sources' sample collection overlapped. We assessed the concordance between sources with and without using multilevel regression and poststratification (MRP) to adjust for differences in representation by age, sex, and race.

resultsAcross regions and timepoints, unadjusted seroprevalence differed between sources by up to 20%. MRP did not consistently improve comparability of seroprevalence across sources. In 2022, seroprevalence was consistently highest among blood donors, and MRP increased regional seroprevalence across all sources (except in Manitoba during January-April 2022 in ABC Study). In a secondary regression analysis, immunoassay kit and sample type (dried blood spot or venous blood draw) strongly influenced the odds that a sample was classified as seropositive.

conclusionAdjusting for representativeness using common socio-demographic variables did not systematically improve concordance in seropositivity estimates between serosurveillance sources. While discrepancies between sources might be influenced by studies' representativeness of characteristics we did not assess, methods for measuring seropositivity appear to explain much of the differences between sources. Serosurveillance findings are influenced by many aspects of study design beyond representativeness, such as sample type (venous blood draw or dried blood spots), choice of immunoassay, and laboratory procedures such as dilution or immunoassay calibration.

Indexed as

COVID-19SARS-CoV-2AdolescentAdultAgedCanadaFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSeroepidemiologic StudiesSociodemographic FactorsSocioeconomic FactorsYoung AdultCLSAMultilevel regression and poststratification (MRP)SARS-CoV-2Serosurveillance

Identifiers

PMID41214282
PMCPMC13536523

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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.