Longitudinal SARS-CoV-2 infection study in a German medical school

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, universities around the world were challenged by the difficult decision whether classes could be held face-to-face in the winter semester 20/21. The gross anatomy course is considered an essential practical element of medical school. In order to protect the participants and teaching staff and to gain more knowledge about SARS-CoV-2 infections among students during a semester with face-to-face teaching a longitudinal test study was conducted. Medical students from the first three years of medical school were also invited. Out of a total of almost 1,000 swabs, only two active asymptomatic infections were detected at the start of the semester, none during the semester. At semester start, approximately 6% of the students had antibodies. At the end of the semester, only nine seroconversions after infection in 671 individuals occurred. This was surprisingly low because a massive second wave of infections hit Germany during the same period. The conclusion therefore is that face-to-face teaching under these measures was not infection-promoting even with high incidence rates in the overall population with the SARS-CoV-2 variants present at that time period. Moreover, the results are indicative of a preventive effect of hygiene concepts together with repetitive testings before and during a semester.