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Early effect of vaccination on the positivity rate of salivary tests performed on nursing home staff in the Walloon Region
Seddiki L , Rosas A , Savsin M , Collart Ph , Van malderen C , Dubourg D
Rev Med Liege 2023, 78(10),540-546Abstract : In Belgium, nursing homes (NH) were disproportionately affected by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The objective of this study was to compare the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in vaccinated and unvaccinated staff members. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study conducted between February 1 and April 02, 2021, in 99 nursing homes (NHs) in the Walloon Region, a few weeks after the start of the vaccination campaign. A mixed-effects logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between COVID results of molecular tests on saliva samples of the NHs’ staff and their vaccination status. Results : Only 32 (0,1 %) of 39 267 saliva tests were positive. Logistic analysis showed that unvaccinated nursing home staff were 4 times more likely to develop COVID-19 than vaccinated staff during the study period. Conclusion: This study demonstrated an early decreased risk of infection in vaccinated NHs staff. Saliva tests were designed to be convenient, less expensive and non-invasive, and could be considered as an alternative to nasopharyngeal tests.
