{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,31]],"date-time":"2025-10-31T17:02:09Z","timestamp":1761930129429,"version":"3.37.3"},"reference-count":19,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,8,6]],"date-time":"2020-08-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1596672000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/bmj.com\/coronavirus\/usage"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100023043","name":"State of Florida","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["#2382A Firefighter Cancer Initiative","#62 for the Medical Training and Simulation Labora"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["#2382A Firefighter Cancer Initiative","#62 for the Medical Training and Simulation Labora"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100023043","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100008464","name":"Federal Emergency Management Agency","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["EMW-2017-FP-00860"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["EMW-2017-FP-00860"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100008464","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Occup Environ Med"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2020,7,20]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2020,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title><jats:p>We estimate the point seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the frontline firefighter\/paramedic workforce of a South Florida fire department located in the epicentre of a State outbreak.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>A cross-sectional study design was used to estimate the point seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies using a rapid immunoglobulin (Ig)M-IgG combined point-of-care lateral flow immunoassay among frontline firefighters\/paramedics collected over a 2-day period, 16\u201317 April 2020. Fire department personnel were emailed a survey link assessing COVID-19 symptoms and work exposures the day prior to the scheduled drive-through antibody testing at a designated fire station. Off-duty and on-duty firefighter\/paramedic personnel drove through the fire station\/training facility in their personal vehicles or on-duty engine\/rescue trucks for SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Among the 203 firefighters\/paramedics that make up the fire department workforce, 18 firefighters\/paramedics (8.9%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, of which 8 firefighters\/paramedics (3.9%) were IgG positive only, 8 (3.9%) were IgM positive only and 2 (0.1%) were IgG\/IgM positive. The positive predictive value (PPV) of the serological test is estimated to be 33.2% and the negative predictive value is 99.3%. The average number of COVID-19 case contacts (ie, within 6 feet of an infected person (laboratory-confirmed or probable COVID-19 patient) for \u226515\u2009min) experienced by firefighters\/paramedics was higher for those with positive serology compared with those with negative (13.3 cases vs 7.31 cases; p=0.022). None of the antibody positive firefighters\/paramedics reported receipt of the annual influenza vaccine compared with firefighters\/paramedics who tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (0.0% vs 21.0%; p=0.027).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Rapid SARS-CoV-2 IgM-IgG antibody testing documented early-stage and late-stage infection in a firefighter workforce providing insight to a broader medical surveillance project on return to work for firefighters\/paramedics. Given the relatively low PPV of the serological test used in this study back in April 2020, caution should be used in interpreting test results.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/oemed-2020-106676","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,8,6]],"date-time":"2020-08-06T21:19:12Z","timestamp":1596748752000},"page":"857-861","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":37,"title":["Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among firefighters\/paramedics of a US fire department: a cross-sectional study"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"77","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5960-1308","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alberto J","family":"Caban-Martinez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Natasha","family":"Schaefer-Solle","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Katerina","family":"Santiago","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Paola","family":"Louzado-Feliciano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Angel","family":"Brotons","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marco","family":"Gonzalez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"S. 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New York Times 2020."},{"key":"2024110804500696000_77.12.857.3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e49","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(20)30493-1","article-title":"The response of Milan's emergency medical system to the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy","volume":"395","author":"Spina","year":"2020","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"2024110804500696000_77.12.857.4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"331","DOI":"10.1007\/s10654-020-00635-2","article-title":"The paramount importance of serological surveys of SARS-CoV-2 infection and immunity","volume":"35","author":"Goudsmit","year":"2020","journal-title":"Eur J Epidemiol"},{"key":"2024110804500696000_77.12.857.5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"845","DOI":"10.1038\/s41591-020-0897-1","article-title":"Antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in patients with COVID-19","volume":"26","author":"Long","year":"2020","journal-title":"Nat Med"},{"key":"2024110804500696000_77.12.857.6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Patel R , Babady E , Theel ES , et al . 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