With an increased risk to employees of exposure to COVID-19 – and a need to keep them healthy and working to care for others infected with the disease and other serious illnesses – Hartford HealthCare (HHC) announced a study of the virus antibody in its healthcare workers.

Dr. Pavlos Papasavas, director of research in the Department of Surgery at Hartford Hospital and principal investigator of the Seroprevalence SARS-CoV-2 study, said the aim is to measure the prevalence of the antibody, which protects people from reinfection, in healthcare workers.

“It’s a hot topic and we don’t have all the answers about antibodies,” Dr. Papasavas said during HHC’s daily media briefing, referring specifically to the Immunoglobulin G or IGG antibody. “There’s a footprint the virus leaves in a person who is infected whether they are symptomatic or not.”

The study will track the number of HHC staffers who have the antibodies, and list them by their position, their location within the system and whether they had contact with COVID-19 patients as part of their job, he said.

Healthcare workers will have blood drawn and the researchers will examine the samples for antibodies.

More evidence is still needed to support the premise that the presence of antibodies in a person’s system grants them immunity to reinfection with COVID-19, and, if so, for how long.

“We cannot tell (the person’s) immunity,” he said. “It doesn’t mean we can stop using PPE (personal protective equipment) or social distancing.”

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