Rural and Remote Health

www.rrh.org.au
James Cook University ISSN 1445-6354

Short Communication

Work place and prevalence of COVID-19 in a rural population in Greece

AUTHORS

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Dimitrios Papagiannis1 Assistant Professor * ORCID logo

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Ourania S Kotsiou2 Assistant Professor

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Evangelos C. Fradelos3 Assistant Professor

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Garyfallia Perlepe4 MD

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Angeliki Miziou5 MD

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Dimitra S. Siachpazidou6 PhD

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Konstantinos I. Gourgoulianis7 Professor

AFFILIATIONS

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Public Health & Vaccines Laboratory, Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa 41500, Greece

ACCEPTED: 2 May 2022


Now published, see the full article go to

Early Abstract:

Introduction: Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has become a global pandemic, giving rise to a serious global health threat. Many countries and Greece also have seen a two-wave pattern of reported cases, with a first wave in spring and a second in Fall of 2020.
Methods: A cross sectional seroprevalence study were designed to measure the prevalence of IgG antibodies with a quantitative SARS-CoV-2 IgG (Immunoglobulin G) lab-based serology test chemiluminescent micro particle immunoassay (CMIA) against novel corona virus in rural areas in Greece after the second pandemic wave. The study was conducted on 29 January 2021 in a rural semi-closed area, the municipal of Deskati prefecture of western Macedonia in Greece after the second pandemic wave.
Results: Sixty-nine participants were included in this study. The present study demonstrated a high prevalence of COVID-19  infection (31 of 69 total participants; 45%) and those who were working in the public sector were at higher risk of covid-19 infection in comparison to their counterparts in private sector (p value 0.05364), (RR 2.64; 95% CI 1.001, 7.086).  
Conclusion: The study presents data with high prevalence of the herd immunity for COVID-19 in a semi-closed area in Greece. These findings might help to understand the characteristics of this second wave, the behavior and danger of SARS-CoV-2 in rural areas in Greece and Europe generally.