Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42152443›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2026

Seroprevalence of COVID-19 among healthcare workers in Hong Kong during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021): a longitudinal cohort study.

Wey Wen Lim, Loretta Mak, Faith Ho, Tiffany W Y Ng, Emily Mun Yau, Ronald L W Ko, Dongxuan Chen, Jingyi Xiao, Wing Hong Seto, Samuel M S Cheng and 4 more

Abstract read
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Article in BMJ open, 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

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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

14 authors.

Wey Wen LimThe University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Loretta MakThe University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Faith HoThe University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Tiffany W Y NgThe University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Emily Mun YauThe University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Ronald L W KoThe University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Dongxuan ChenThe University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Jingyi XiaoThe University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Wing Hong SetoThe University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Samuel M S ChengThe University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Ranawaka A P M PereraThe University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Dennis K M IpThe University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Malik PeirisDivision of Public Health Laboratory Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Benjamin J CowlingThe University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong bcowling@hku.hk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6297-7154

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hong Kong adopted strict public health and social measures to stop community transmission of SARS-CoV-2. These include border screening and control, isolation of cases and quarantine of their contacts and universal masking. During this period, attack rates in Hong Kong were among the lowest globally.

objectivesTo estimate the seroprevalence of COVID-19 among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Hong Kong in 2020 and 2021.

methodsWe reviewed contact tracing data from the Hong Kong Department of Health to identify COVID-19 cases reported among HCWs. Between June 2020 and December 2021, we conducted a longitudinal cohort study to estimate the seroprevalence of COVID-19 among HCWs working in hospitals and clinics in Hong Kong during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

resultsOverall seropositivity of COVID-19 by plaque reduction neutralisation test during the first (May-October 2020) and second round (November 2020-April 2021) of the study was 0% (95% CI 0.00% to 0.49%) and 0.52% (95% CI 0.14% to 1.33%). After COVID-19 vaccines were offered to HCWs in February 2021, seroprevalence by surrogate virus neutralisation assay among cohort participants who provided biannual blood samples rose to 68.7% (95% CI 65.9%, 71.3%) and 80.2% (95% CI 76.8%, 83.2%) in round 3 (May-October 2021) and the first 2 months of round 4 (November-December 2021).

conclusionsSeroprevalence in Hong Kong HCWs in our study was low despite considerable exposure to confirmed COVID-19 cases in some study participants. However, the low rate of community transmission may have also contributed to the observed low seroprevalence among HCWs in our cohort.

Indexed as

COVID-19Health PersonnelAdultContact TracingFemaleFrontline WorkersHong KongHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedPandemicsSARS-CoV-2Seroepidemiologic StudiesCOVID-19EPIDEMIOLOGYHealth

Identifiers

PMID42152443
PMCPMC13182347

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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.