
Alicia Kraay
Assistant Professor
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
We estimated time from seroconversion to seroreversion and infection fatality ratio (IFR) using mortality data from March to October 2020 and population-level cross-sectional seroprevalence data from April to August 2020 in New York City and Connecticut. We then estimated the daily seroprevalence and cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection is underestimated using cross-sectional serology data without adjustment for waning antibodies. Our approach can help quantify the magnitude of underestimation and adjust estimates for waning antibodies.
Serology tests can identify previous infections and facilitate estimation of the number of total infections. However, immunoglobulins targeting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been reported to wane below the detectable level of serologic assays (which is not necessarily equivalent to the duration of protective immunity). We estimate the cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection from serology studies, accounting for expected levels of antibody acquisition (seroconversion) and waning (seroreversion), and apply this framework using data from New York City and Connecticut.
The estimated average time from seroconversion to seroreversion was 3-4 months. The estimated IFR was 1.1% (95% credible interval: 1.0-1.2%) in New York City and 1.4% (1.1-1.7%) in Connecticut. The estimated daily seroprevalence declined after a peak in the spring. The estimated cumulative incidence reached 26.8% (24.2-29.7%) at the end of September in New York City and 8.8% (7.1-11.3%) in Connecticut, higher than maximum seroprevalence measures (22.1% and 6.1%), respectively.
Assistant Professor
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Professor
Emory University
Patton Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences
Georgia Institute of Technology
Epidemiologist
Emory University
Assistant Professor
Emory University
MIDAS Coordination Center
Contact us: questions@midasnetwork.us
Thank you to NIGMS Grant U24GM132013 for supporting the work at the Coordination Center.
Copyright MIDAS © 2022. All Rights Reserved.