Abstract
INTRODUCTION:
Estimates of the number of individuals infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 are important for health planning and establishment of expectations regarding herd immunity.
METHODS:
Seven testing rounds of a serological survey were conducted at 1-week intervals between April 19 and May 31, 2020 in Teresina municipality.
RESULTS
Over the 7 weeks, serological positivity increased from 0.56% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.18%-1.30%) to 8.33% (95% CI: 6.61%-10.33%), representing 33-53 persons infected for each reported case.
CONCLUSIONS:
Serological screening may be an important tool for understanding the immunity of a population and planning community interventions.
Keywords:
Coronavirus disease; Health surveys; Pandemic