Seroprevalence of COVID-19 in Palestine in 2020

  1. I Rayan
  2. SE Qaddomi
  3. O Najjar
  4. S Abbas
  5. K Mousa
  6. L Iraqi
  7. E Abdelkreem Aly
  8. K Abu Khader
  9. A Barakat
  10. R Salman

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Abstract

COVID-19 affected different countries in different ways. Palestine had recorded over 140,000 cases by the end of 2020. The WHO/PNIPH, WHO/EMRO, and the Palestinian MoH carried out a serological survey in Palestine in order to estimate the actual number of COVID-19 infections up to the end of December 2020. A sample stratified by region, district, residence area (urban, rural, and refugee camp), and accounting for gender, was taken from Gaza and the West Bank. Data from participants were also collected, including demographic, socio-economic, and health conditions. The results show that 39% of the Palestinian population (38% of the West Bank and 40% of Gaza) had been infected with COVID-19 by the end of December, almost 10 times the number detected by targeted Rt-PCR testing. Several factors were calculated to be significant such as diabetes, smoking, gender, age, and residence.

Summary of findings

The following table is a summary of all findings presented in this report. The P values in green are below 0.05, which makes the result statistically significant; red is not statistically significant. In binary comparisons (when comparing two numbers), the odds were calculated, meaning how much more likely the presence of seropositivity is if the condition is satisfied. For example, those who were previously diagnosed as COVID-19 positive using Rt PCR were 2.5 times as likely to be seropositive than those who were not diagnosed.

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  1. ScreenIT

    SciScore for 10.1101/2021.10.04.21263131: (What is this?)

    Please note, not all rigor criteria are appropriate for all manuscripts.

    Table 1: Rigor

    EthicsConsent: The blood samples were accompanied by comprehensive forms containing as much information as possible regarding the individuals who supplied the samples for analysis. 13 in WB and 5 in GS (3 people 2 collectors and one statistician, questionnaire, add questionnaire to annex, random household): Ethical consideration and consent form: This project was approved by the WHO/EMRO ethics board:
    Sex as a biological variableTwo blood samples (one from a male and one from a female) were taken from each household and sent to a MoH lab for analysis.
    RandomizationA total of 6063 random households were selected in the West Bank and Gaza (3638 in the West Bank and 2425 in the Gaza Strip) with assistance from the PCBS.
    Blindingnot detected.
    Power Analysisnot detected.

    Table 2: Resources

    No key resources detected.

    Results from OddPub: We did not detect open data. We also did not detect open code. Researchers are encouraged to share open data when possible (see Nature blog).

    Results from LimitationRecognizer: We detected the following sentences addressing limitations in the study:
    Limitations: Several factors may have limited our ability to collect specimens. Certain communities were more resistant to testing than others due to the political realities in Palestine. Those same political factors also hindered our data collectors from travelling between different areas in the West Bank. The geopolitical situation makes analysis of samples from Gaza and the West Bank in one single laboratory impossible. Each sample had to be analyzed in a lab in the same region where the sample had been collected. This could have a created a confounding effect when comparing Gaza with the West Bank.

    Results from TrialIdentifier: No clinical trial numbers were referenced.

    Results from Barzooka: We did not find any issues relating to the usage of bar graphs.

    Results from JetFighter: We did not find any issues relating to colormaps.

    Results from rtransparent:
    • Thank you for including a conflict of interest statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • Thank you for including a funding statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • No protocol registration statement was detected.

    Results from scite Reference Check: We found no unreliable references.

    About SciScore

    SciScore is an automated tool that is designed to assist expert reviewers by finding and presenting formulaic information scattered throughout a paper in a standard, easy to digest format. SciScore checks for the presence and correctness of RRIDs (research resource identifiers), and for rigor criteria such as sex and investigator blinding. For details on the theoretical underpinning of rigor criteria and the tools shown here, including references cited, please follow this link.

  2. Version published to 10.1101/2021.10.04.21263131v1 on medRxiv