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Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the general population of Nepal during the first and second generalized waves of the COVID-19 pandemic-2020-2021.

Krishna Prasad PaudelReuben SamuelRuna JhaBasu Dev PandeyChathura EdirisuriyaNebin Lal ShresthaPradip GyawaliAmrit PokhrelLilee ShresthaRam Kumar MahatoShaikh Shah HossainGovindakarnavar ArunkumarAnindya Sekhar BoseMeghnath DhimalDipendra GautamSubash NeupaneNishant ThakurSaugat ShresthaNirajan BhusalPriya JhaBinod Prasad GuptaRajan Bikram RayamajhiKoshal Chandra SubediShashi KandelMukesh PoudelLila Bikram ThapaGuna Nidhi SharmaAllison Eugenio GocotanoAvinash K SunnyRabin GautamDeepak Raj BhattaBal Krishna AwaleBhola RokaHemant Chandra OjhaPhanindra BaralMahendra Dhose AdhikariGuna Raj LohaniMahendra ShresthaDipendra Raman SinghLaxman AryalRajesh Sambhajirao PandavRoshan Pokhrel
Published in: Influenza and other respiratory viruses (2023)
Few seroprevalence studies have been conducted on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Nepal. Here, we aimed to estimate seroprevalence and assess risk factors for infection in the general population of Nepal by conducting two rounds of sampling. The first round was in October 2020, at the peak of the first generalized wave of COVID-19, and the second round in July-August 2021, following the peak of the wave caused by the delta variant of SARS-CoV-2. We used cross-sectional probability-to-size (PPS)-based multistage cluster sampling to estimate the seroprevalence in the general population of Nepal at the national and provincial levels. We tested for anti-SARS-CoV-2 total antibody using the WANTAI SARS-CoV-2 Ab ELISA kit. In Round 1, the overall national seroprevalence was 14.4%, with provincial estimates ranging from 5.3% in Sudurpaschim to 27.3% in Madhesh Province. In Round 2, the estimated national seroprevalence was 70.7%, with the highest in the Madhesh Province (84.8%) and the lowest in the Gandaki Province (62.9%). Seroprevalence was comparable between males and females (Round 1, 15.8% vs. 12.2% and Round 2, 72.3% vs. 68.7%). The seroprevalence in the ecozones-Terai, hills, and mountains-was 76.3%, 65.3%, and 60.5% in Round 2 and 17.7%, 11.7%, and 4.6% in Round 1, respectively. In Nepal, COVID-19 vaccination was introduced in January 2021. At the peak of the first generalized wave of COVID-19, most of the population of Nepal remained unexposed to SARS-CoV-2. Towards the end of the second generalized wave in April 2021, two thirds of the population was exposed.
Keyphrases
  • sars cov
  • respiratory syndrome coronavirus
  • coronavirus disease
  • tertiary care
  • south africa
  • quality improvement