Antibody Response to SARS-CoV-2: A Cohort Study in Qatar's Primary Care Settings

Globally, countries are rolling out Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) quarantine policies and vaccination programs. Research studies are needed in helping understand the likelihood of acquired immunity to reinfection and identify priority groups for vaccination to inform them. This study aimed to assess period prevalence and longitudinal changes in antibody levels after SARS-CoV-2 infection in Qatari primary care settings.

A cohort study design with 2 data collection phases was undertaken-Phase 1 (conducted in July 2020) and Phase 2 (conducted in October 2020). A stratified random sampling technique by age, gender and nationality was utilized to identify the study sample. The total sample size required for the study was estimated to be 2102. Participants were invited to an appointment where they were administered a questionnaire and provided samples for polymerase chain reaction and Immunoglobulin G immunoassay tests.

A total of 943 individuals participated in both Phase 1 and Phase 2. In this cohort, seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 was found to be 12% (N = 113) in Phase 1 and 17.2% (N = 162) in Phase 2. Of the 113 participants who were seropositive in Phase 1, 38.1% (CI 29.5-47.2%, N = 43) had a reduction, 54.9% (CI 45.7-63.8%, N = 62) had no change, and 7.1% (CI 3.4-12.9%, N = 8) had an increase in IgG titer in Phase 2. All (N = 18) participants aged 10 to 17 years retained their antibodies. The proportion of men who retained their antibodies was slightly higher compared to women-92.5% (N = 74) and 87.9% (N = 29) respectively. Similarly, symptomatic individuals (97.8%; N = 45) had a higher antibody retention compared with asymptomatic individuals (86.4%; N = 57).

This study provides preliminary information on the longitudinal changes in antibody levels after SARS-CoV-2 infection. These findings will help inform quarantine policies and vaccination programs.