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CORONAVIRUS ANTIBODIES were identified in nearly 20% of Tallaght University Hospital staff, according to one study.
Nearly 1,200 people volunteered to participate in the study being conducted by the hospital.
This represents a third of the staff. Participation was open to people who work in all departments of the hospital.
Of these, 18% showed antibodies against the coronavirus. The study was conducted between mid-July and mid-October.
For staff working in more direct contact with patients, the detection rate was 20% and the rate was 13% for people with less direct contact with patients.
12% of the participants had been diagnosed with Covid-19 at some point after a swab test before participating in the study.
When this cohort of people was excluded, the overall percentage of those who were confirmed to be infected was 7.5% and more than half of them suspected they had been infected at some point.
Commenting on the study, consulting microbiologist Dr. Anna Rose Prior said the results show that a “high proportion of Covid infection in healthcare workers goes undetected.”
The latest report from the Health Protection Surveillance Center showed that healthcare workers account for 21.8% of all Covid-19 cases in Ireland.
An HSE study on Covid-19 antibodies in Irish with results up to mid-July found that 1.7% of people had Covid-19 antibodies.
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The study was based on random testing of 1,733 people aged 12 to 69 in Sligo and Dublin for Covid-19 antibodies.
Participants
The Tallaght study was open to all hospital staff, including doctors, nurses, laboratory assistants, social workers, cleaning staff, and electricians.
The study will last 12 months, so antibody levels will continue to be tested at different times for participants who wish to do so.
This time period is intended to help identify how long antibodies present in people remain and also to determine how many staff members will develop antibodies during the course of the pandemic.
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