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Volume 27, Number 5—May 2021
Research

Herd Immunity against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection in 10 Communities, Qatar

Andrew JeremijenkoComments to Author , Hiam Chemaitelly, Houssein H. Ayoub, Moza Alishaq, Abdul-Badi Abou-Samra, Jameela Ali A.A. Al Ajmi, Nasser Ali Asad Al Ansari, Zaina Al Kanaani, Abdullatif Al Khal, Einas Al Kuwari, Ahmed Al-Mohammed, Naema Hassan Abdulla Al Molawi, Huda Mohamad Al Naomi, Adeel A. Butt, Peter Coyle, Reham Awni El Kahlout, Imtiaz Gillani, Anvar Hassan Kaleeckal, Naseer Ahmad Masoodi, Anil George Thomas, Hanaa Nafady-Hego, Ali Nizar Latif, Riyazuddin Mohammad Shaik, Nourah B.M. Younes, Hanan F. Abdul Rahim, Hadi M. Yassine, Mohamed G. Al Kuwari, Hamad Eid Al Romaihi, Mohamed H. Al-Thani, Roberto Bertollini, and Laith J. Abu-RaddadComments to Author 
Author affiliations: Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar (A. Jeremijenko, M. Alishaq, A.-B. Abou-Samra, J.A.A.A. Al Ajmi, N.A.A. Al Ansari, Z. Al Kanaani, A. Al Khal, E. Al Kuwari, A. Al-Mohammed, N.H.A. Al Molawi, H.M. Al Naomi, A.A. Butt, P. Coyle, R.A. El Kahlout, I. Gillani, A.H. Kaleeckal, N.A. Masoodi, A.G. Thomas, H. Nafady-Hego, A.N. Latif, R.H. Shaik, N.B.M. Younes); Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar of Cornell University, Doha (H. Chemaitelly, L.J. Abu-Raddad); World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Disease Epidemiology Analytics on HIV/AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Infections, Doha (H. Chemaitelly, L.J. Abu-Raddad); Qatar University, Doha (H.H. Ayoub, H.F. Abdul Rahim, H.M. Yassine); Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt (H. Nafady-Hego); Primary Health Care Corporation, Doha (M.G. Al Kuwari); Ministry of Public Health, Doha (H.E. Al Romaihi, M.H. Al-Thani, R. Bertollini); Cornell University, New York, New York, USA (A.A. Butt, L.J. Abu-Raddad)

Main Article

Table 2

Characteristics of CMW community 1 and associations with SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity (detectable antibodies in serologic samples) including sociodemographics, history of exposure, and symptoms, Qatar*

Characteristic No. (%)† tested SARS-CoV-2 seropositive
 Univariable regression analysis‡
No. %§ (95% CI) p value OR (95% CI) p value¶
Sex
M 240 (94.1) 189 78.8 (73.0–83.7) <0.001 Referent
F
 15 (5.9)
 4
 26.7 (7.8–55.1)
0.10 (0.03–0.32)
 <0.001
Age, y
<29 105 (41.2) 84 80.0 (71.1–87.2) 0.322 Referent
30–39 111 (43.5) 83 74.8 (65.6–82.5) 0.74 (0.39–1.41) 0.360
40–49 27 (10.6) 19 70.4 (49.8–86.2) 0.59 (0.23–1.54) 0.284
>50
 12 (4.7)
 7
 58.3 (27.7–84.8)
0.35 (0.10–1.21)
 0.098
Nationality
Other# 48 (18.8) 23 47.9 (33.3–62.8) <0.001 Referent
Indian 32 (12.5) 20 62.5 (43.7–78.9) 1.81 (0.73–4.51) 0.202
Nepalese 157 (61.6) 132 84.1 (77.4–89.4) 5.74 (2.82–11.67) <0.001
Bangladeshi
 18 (7.1)
 18
 100.0 (81.5–100.0)
Omitted by model
 NA
Education level
Intermediate or lower 101 (39.6) 88 87.1 (79.0–93.0) <0.001 Referent
Secondary/high school/vocational 80 (31.4) 69 86.3 (76.7–92.9) 0.93 (0.39–2.20) 0.863
University 27 (10.6) 17 63.0 (42.4–80.6) 0.25 (0.09–0.67) 0.005
Missing
 47 (18.4)
 19
 40.4 (26.4–55.7)
0.10 (0.04–0.23)
 <0.001
Contact with an infected person
No 124 (48.6) 93 75.0 (66.4–82.3) 0.303 Referent
Yes 14 (5.5) 13 92.9 (66.1–99.8) 4.33 (0.54–34.48) 0.166
Unknown/missing
 117 (45.9)
 87
 74.4 (65.5–82.0)
0.97 (0.54–1.73)
 0.909
Symptoms in the past 2 weeks**
Asymptomatic 184 (72.2) 148 80.4 (74.0–85.9) <0.001 Referent
1 16 (6.3) 16 100.0 (79.4–100.0) Omitted by model NA
>2 12 (4.7) 12 100.0 (73.5–100.0) Omitted by model NA
Missing
 43 (16.9)
 17
 39.5 (25.0–55.6)
0.16 (0.08–0.32)
 <0.001
Symptoms required medical attention
No 210 (82.4) 174 82.9 (77.1–87.7) <0.001 Referent
Yes 3 (1.2) 3 100.0 (29.2–100.0) Omitted by model NA
Unknown/missing 42 (16.5) 16 38.1 (23.6–54.4) 0.13 (0.06–0.26) <0.001

*CMW, craft and manual worker; NA, not applicable; OR, odds ratio; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.
†Percentage of total sample.
‡Overall sample size and numbers per stratum were too small to warrant conduct of meaningful multivariable regression analysis.
§Percent seropositive of those tested.
¶Covariates with p <0.05 in univariable analysis (i.e., sex, nationality, and education level were considered as showing evidence for an association with SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity.
#Includes all other nationalities that contributed <10% of the sample. These are Filipino, Georgian, Kenyan, Sri Lankan, and Tunisian.
**Symptoms were based on self-report and included fever, chills, muscle ache/myalgia, sore throat, cough, runny nose/rhinorrea, shortness of breath, wheezing, chest pain, other respiratory symptoms, headache, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, loss of sense of smell, and loss of sense of taste.

Main Article

Page created: March 02, 2021
Page updated: April 20, 2021
Page reviewed: April 20, 2021
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