Abstract

Cases of pneumonia linked to a new Coronavirus have been noted in Wuhan city, Hubei province in China. This epidemic caused by the new Coronavirus called COVID-19 by the WHO, quickly became a global pandemic. This study is to assess the epidemiological situation as well as the prevalence and seroprevalence of COVID-19 in 213 vulnerable patients in the Thies region. This is a prospective study, targeting vulnerable people recruited in the Thies region from June to September 2022. For each patient, a serological test and a search for the SARS CoV-2 genome was carried out using a blood sample and a nasopharyngeal swab. 213 participants, vulnerable to COVID-19, living in the Thies were include. The age of the patients varied between 12 and 97 years and the age (61-80) were the most represented group. The majority were diabetic (26.3%), followed by hypertensives (23%). The elderly represented 14.6%, and the patients with cardiopathy 5.2%. Pregnant women represented 5.2% of our study and 12% of patients presented other comorbidities. Furthermore, 34% of our study population were vaccinated. RT-PCR to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA was positive for 11 patients, representing a prevalence of 5.2%. Serological tests showed that 15.49% carried IgM anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, probably indicating an ongoing infection. And 76.52% had anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies of the IgG type. However, 11.73% tested positive for both classes of antibodies. The circulation of the virus is still present in Thies region, particularly among vulnerable people. The high IgG seroprevalence could indicate immunity in the population studied.

Key words: SARS-CoV-2, comorbidities, genomic marker, seroprevalence, Thies.