Results of the fourth stage of the seroprevalence study are imminent

The new phase of the seroprevalence study of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the Geneva population took place from 29 April to 9 June 2022. For the fourth time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the study aimed to assess the proportion of the population who had developed antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus (responsible for COVID-19), either through natural infection or vaccination. The study was conducted by the Population Epidemiology Unit (UEP) of the Department of Primary Care Medicine (SMPR) at Geneva University Hospitals, in collaboration with the virology laboratory of the Department of Infectious Diseases, the Children's Hospital and the Laboratory of Virology and Genetics at EPFL.

The study recruited 2,521 participants from a randomly selected representative sample of the Geneva population, made up of newcomers to the Specchio-COVID19 study as well as participants who had already been actively involved since the start of our seroprevalence surveys. Participation consisted of a serological blood test and the completion of a questionnaire containing socio-demographic and pandemic-related questions. It took place at a number of sampling sites in various communes and districts of the canton of Geneva: at the HUG, the Population Epidemiology Unit, the Belle-Idée site and the Children's Hospital, as well as at the Hôpital de la Tour in Meyrin, the Centre Médical du Lignon and the Clinique et Permanence d'Onex.

Thanks to the renewed commitment of the public, our research teams are on the verge of obtaining high-quality data that will help to inform public health decision-makers in the run-up to next winter's summer epidemic.

The results of the study will be available in the next few days on our News pagepage, in the press and on the website and social media.

In the meantime, we would like to extend our warmest thanks to all those who took part in the study and gave up their time to continue advancing the research.