January 28, 2021

Resurgence of COVID-19 in Manaus, Brazil, despite High Seroprevalence

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Transmission

Keywords (Tags): immunity, transmission

Despite a high SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence of 76% among blood donors in Manaus, Brazil by October 2020, the area experienced a sudden rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations from 552 in December 2020 to 3,431 in January 2021. The authors suggest possible explanations for the resurgence in this setting where seroprevalence was higher than common estimates of the herd immunity threshold, including overestimating seroprevalence, waning immunity, introduction of new variants capable of escaping prior infection, and circulation of variants with higher inherent transmissibility.

Sabino et al. (Jan 27, 2021). Resurgence of COVID-19 in Manaus, Brazil, despite High Seroprevalence. The Lancet. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00183-5