SARS-CoV-2 serosurvey across multiple waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City between 2020–2023

TL;DR

This study tracks how SARS-CoV-2 immunity in New York City changed over time, showing a sharp rise in antibody levels after vaccination.

Contribution

The study provides detailed seroprevalence data across multiple pandemic waves and vaccine rollouts in a large urban population.

Findings

Seroprevalence exceeded 90% in NYC by July 2022 due to vaccination and natural infection.

Antibody levels increased gradually during the first two waves and sharply during the third wave.

The study highlights how immunity evolves as a pandemic transitions to an endemic stage.

Abstract

Sero-monitoring provides context to the epidemiology of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections and changes in population immunity following vaccine introduction. Here, we describe results of a cross-sectional hospital-based study of anti-spike seroprevalence in New York City (NYC) from February 2020 to July 2022, and a follow-up period from August 2023 to October 2023. Samples from 55,092 individuals, spanning five epidemiological waves were analyzed. Prevalence ratios (PR) were obtained using Poisson regression. Anti-spike antibody levels increased gradually over the first two waves, with a sharp increase during the 3rd wave coinciding with SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in NYC resulting in seroprevalence levels >90% by July 2022. Our data provide insights into the dynamic changes in immunity occurring in a large and diverse metropolitan community faced with a new viral pathogen and reflects the patterns of antibody responses as the pandemic transitions into an endemic stage.

Continued monitoring of population SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence can reveal infection and vaccination patterns. Here, the authors report data from a prospective hospital-based sero-monitoring study in New York City from 2020–2023, including ~55,000 individuals.

Figures