A Report of SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests at a Psychiatric Hospital

Abstract

A series of antibody test for SARS-CoV-2 were conducted at a Psychiatric Hospital in Hiroshima from May 21to July 10, 2020. During this 51-day period, 77 samples were tested. Samples were taken from 63 staff members including 1 family member and from 13 hospital patients. Among those tested, 11 were IgM-positive, 14 % of all.  Of these, 3 samples were IgG- positive as well. Any of the 11 samples was not IgG alone and negative in PCR. These results on the staff members were visualized by plotting them on a residential map. The plotted map indicated spots where the members frequently gather and move around. Our present results showed when antibody tests should be conducted and that the test must be performed regularly on visiting specialists for patients including dentists, therapists, and barbers. The results also helped our writing of a manual for preventing hospital-acquired infection. In one case, a patient with high fever was confirmed negative in antibody test, then this patient was transferred to a nearby medical center by ambulance crew.  There, the patient was confirmed again negative this time by antigen test. This means that the first antibody test at the hospital may have provided the ambulance crew as well as the hospital staff a sense of security against virus infection. It should be noted that Japanese Government did not allow to perform freely any antigen test including PCR without permission in May.  In order to avoid this ‘red tape’, we had to use antibody test kits easily available at that time. Our present report may help those medical personnel who are in a similar situation with limited test resources.