Geneva's population is becoming more immune thanks to vaccination
Data collected from 3,121 people from a representative sample of the Geneva population reveals that, at the time of the pandemic's decline, 67% of the Geneva population as a whole had developed antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. Half of them had developed antibodies as a result of natural infection with the virus, while the other half had developed antibodies as a result of vaccination.
The study highlights significant differences between age groups. Seroprevalence is highest among people aged 65 and over, with over 90% of them immune, and lowest among the under-12s, of whom only one child in three has been in contact with the virus.
The study was conducted by the Population Epidemiology Unit of the Department of Primary Care Medicine (SMPR) at the HUG, under the direction of Professor Silvia Stringhini and Professor Idris Guessous. It benefited from the collaboration of the Virology Laboratory and the Centre for Emerging Viral Diseasesdirected by Prof Laurent Kaiser, the Paediatric Research Platform headed by Professor Klara Posfay-Barbe.
Seroprevalence surveys are used to measure the proportion of the population that has already been exposed to the coronavirus. They are crucial for estimating the dynamics of the epidemic and preparing the appropriate public health response. These studies could also provide a better understanding of the impact of certain variants following infection or vaccination.
