The fourth stage of the seroprevalence study has begun
Throughout May, the Population Epidemiology Unit of the Department of Primary Care Medicine at the HUG is conducting a new phase of its seroprevalence study, which began at the start of the pandemic. By once again assessing the proportion of the population who have developed antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus (responsible for COVID-19), the aim is to obtain an up-to-date picture of herd immunity in Geneva.
After more than two years of the pandemic, we are now in a situation where the health crisis has come to an end. Despite this, the virus has not disappeared, and the role of scientists is to continue to closely monitor its development and spread through the population. As well as the current state of collective immunity, other key pieces of information remain unknown: for example, the proportion of people whose antibody levels are falling, or those who have never been in contact with the virus. A better understanding of this virus and its variants will help to guide public health strategies.
For this new phase of the seroprevalence study, thousands of Genevans have been randomly selected, either from the register held by the Office cantonal de la population et des migrations, or from participants in our previous seroprevalence surveys. If they agreed to take part, the people selected were invited to undergo a serological blood test and complete a questionnaire (in most cases, directly online via the secure digital platform Specchio-COVID19). Anyone selected can take part in the study, regardless of their vaccination status and whether or not they have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past. People taking part in this seroprevalence survey are also invited to join the Specchio-COVID19 follow-up study.
All the teams in the Population Epidemiology Unit are therefore being mobilised in several Geneva communes this spring, in order to shed scientific light on the current situation. The public's contribution remains absolutely essential in this period of post-pandemic transition.
More information on the results will be released in June.
