Testing the backbone of the healthcare system: a prospective serological-epidemiological cohort study of healthcare workers in rural Germany.

Abstract Healthcare workers are of a high priority in SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and epidemiological control strategies due to their relevance for the healthcare system and high exposure levels that might result in symptomatic and asymptomatic courses. Aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infections in a cohort of 171 healthcare workers in a standard care hospital in a rural German area. The outcomes are monthly measures of antibody prevalence over a 6-month period. Using univariate statistics, baseline characteristics will be analysed considering risk groups, exposure history, test frequencies, symptoms, and antibody distribution.At T0 tests for qualitative detection of antibodies (Ig) against SARS-CoV-2 revealed a seroprevalence of 1.3%.The data contribute to the understanding of the virus spread in a particularly exposed population group and will be relevant for management of the pandemic. Longitudinal analyses will reveal the progression of seroprevalence of antibodies and immunity over the time.