Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

June 4, 2020

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in Hong Kong and in Residents Evacuated from Hubei Province, China: A Multicohort Study

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  • Kai-Wang et al. conducted a seroepidemiology investigation using enzyme immunoassay and microneutralization assay on stored samples from before and after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. They conclude that SARS-CoV-2 was not circulating in the Hong Kong population before the COVID-19 pandemic and that there was no increase in the seroprevalence from 2018 up until the second month of the COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong. 
  • Among Hong Kong returnees evacuated from Hubei province in March, 2020, the SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity was 4%, indicating a large number of cases of subclinical COVID-19 that were not detected during the epidemic period in Hubei. 

Kai-Wang et al. (June 3, 2020). Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in Hong Kong and in Residents Evacuated from Hubei Province, China: A Multicohort Study. The Lancet Microbe. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2666-5247(20)30053-7