Journal Article

SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence Survey in Grocery Store Workers—Minnesota, 2020–2021

Hedberg, Craig W., Demmer, Ryan T., Draeger, Kathryn J., Yendell, Stephanie, Beebe, Timothy J., Vachon, Madhura S.

2022

Overview

Grocery workers were essential to the workforce and exempt from lockdown requirements as per Minnesota Executive Order 20–20. The risk of COVID-19 transmission in grocery settings is not well documented. This study aimed to determine which factors influenced seropositivity among grocery workers. We conducted a cross-sectional study of Minnesota grocery workers aged 18 and older using a convenience sample. Participants were recruited using a flyer disseminated electronically via e-mail, social media, and newspaper advertising. Participants were directed to an electronic survey and were asked to self-collect capillary blood for IgG antibody testing. Data were analyzed using logistic regression and adjusted for urbanicity, which confounded the relationship between number of job responsibilities in a store and seropositivity. Of 861 Minnesota grocery workers surveyed, 706 (82%) were tested as part of this study, of which 56 (7.9%) tested positive for IgG antibodies. Participants aged 65–74 years had the highest percent positivity. Having multiple job responsibilities in a store was significantly associated with seropositivity in our adjusted model (OR: 1.14 95% CI: 1.01–1.27). Workplace factors influenced seropositivity among Minnesota grocery workers. Future research will examine other potential factors (e.g., in-store preventive measures and access to PPE) that may contribute to increased seropositivity.

• Publisher: MDPI AG,MDPI
• Subject: Adolescent / Age groups / Aged / Asymptomatic / Beliefs, opinions and attitudes / Communicable Disease Control / Coronaviruses / COVID-19 / COVID-19 - epidemiology / COVID-19 diagnostic tests / Cross-Sectional Studies / Customer services / Disease transmission / Employees / Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay / Glycoproteins / Grocery industry / Grocery stores / Households / Humans / Immunoglobulin G / Laboratories / Minnesota - epidemiology / Newspaper advertising / Pandemics / Responsibilities / SARS-CoV-2 / Seroepidemiologic Studies / Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 / Supermarkets / Workers