Seroprevalence of COVID-19 neutralizing antibodies among multi-ethnic staff of an Asian primary healthcare institution: insights from point-of-care testing and implications for booster vaccination decisions
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12879_2025_Article_11865.pdf
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Author(s)
Oka, Prawira
Jia, Huan
Kongsuphol, Patthara
Ng, Say Y.
Saravanan, Vivekanandan
Ng, Chirk J.
Moosa, Aminath S.
Xiong, Mengfei
Gun, Shih Y.
Tsang, Li P. M.
Date Issued
October 30, 2025
Journal
BMC Infectious Diseases
Publisher
BioMed Central
Citation
Oka, P., Jia, H., Kongsuphol, P. et al. Seroprevalence of COVID-19 neutralizing antibodies among multi-ethnic staff of an Asian primary healthcare institution: insights from point-of-care testing and implications for booster vaccination decisions. BMC Infect Dis 25, 1450 (2025).
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Background COVID-19 vaccines have been crucial for establishing immunity; however, emerging data suggest vaccine efficacy is reduced within six months. Healthcare staff face an elevated COVID-19 risk and should make an informed decision to receive timely boosters to maintain their immunity. This study aims to determine the COVID-19 neutralizing antibody (nAb) seroprevalence among primary care staff and the impact of serological testing on their vaccination decision. Methods This cross-sectional study involved multidisciplinary primary healthcare professionals working in 10 public primary care clinics from December 2022 to July 2023. A questionnaire captured sociodemographic data, COVID-19 related history and attitudes toward serological testing. Their COVID-19 nAb levels were measured via point-of-care CoVIm™ Rapid SARS-CoV-2 nAb Test and laboratory cPass™ SARS-CoV-2 nAb Detection Kit. Results The study included 474 subjects, mostly female (88.8%), with a mean age of 40.6 years (SD = 12.3). All received at least two COVID-19 vaccinations, and 80.6% reported at least one infection. COVID-19 nAb seroprevalence was high (99.2%). Post-vaccination, 79.7% contracted COVID-19, with the median time to infection being 163 days. Most staff (93.9%) desired to know their COVID-19 immunity status through a finger pick test (77.0%) instead of venepuncture. Over two-thirds (68.1%) indicated the results would influence their booster vaccination decision. Conclusion The study revealed a high seroprevalence of COVID-19 nAb among the fully vaccinated participating staff. The necessity for timely boosters is underscored by 79.7% contracting COVID-19 post-vaccination. Most subjects were willing to undergo point-of-care testing, with results potentially influencing their decisions for booster vaccination.
MIT Department
Singapore-MIT Alliance in Research and Technology (SMART)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Chemical Engineering
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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-025-11865-8
