A Longitudinal Study of Healthcare Worker’s Surveillance During the Ongoing COVID-19 Epidemics in Italy Francesco Barbaro 1 , Foscarina Della Rocca 2 , Andrea Padoan 3 , Ada Aita 3 , Vito Cianci 2 , Daniela Basso 3 , Annamaria Cattelan 1 , Claudia Santarossa 2 , Mario Plebani 3 , Luigi Dall’Olmo 4,5* 1 Infectious and Tropical Disease Unit, Padua University Hospital, Padua, Italy; 2 Emergency Department, Padua University Hospital, Padua, Italy; 3 Department of Medicine - DIMED, Laboratory Medicine, Padua University, Padua, Italy; 4 Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Padua, Italy; 5 Depatment of Surgical Oncological and Gastroenterological Sciences– DISCOG, Padua University, Padua, Italy ABSTRACT Background: Northern Italy was the first area outside China to be involved in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. This observational study depicts SARS-CoV-2 prevalence and serological curves among first-line healthcare workers (HCWs) at Padua University Hospital (PdUH), North East Italy. Method: 344 first-line HCWs underwent a SARS-CoV-2 RNA nasopharyngeal swab with paired IgM and IgG antibody detection for 4 consecutive weeks and after a follow up of 5 months. Results: Twenty-seven HCWs (7.84%) had positive serology (Abs) with 12 positive swabs during the study period. Two additional HCWs were positive by swab but without Abs. Fourteen cases (4%) had SARS-CoV-2 infection before the beginning of the study. An HCW with autoimmune disease showed false Ab results. 46% of individuals with Abs reported no symptoms. Fever, nasal congestion, diarrhoea and contacts with SARS-CoV-2 individuals correlated to SARS-CoV-2 infection. 96% of Abs+ cases showed persistent positive antibodies 5 months later and none was re- infected. Discussion: Correct use of (Personal Protective Equipment) PPEs and separate paths for positive/negative patients in the hospital can result in a low percentage of SARS-CoV-2 infections among HCWs. Frequent testing for SARS- CoV-2 is worthwhile, irrespective of HCWs' symptoms. Keywords: COVID-19; Nasopharyngeal swabs; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Immune response INTRODUCTION Background/Rationale The new Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic represents the most serious global challenge after the Second World War, with many public health and economic consequences. The SARS-CoV-2 epidemic spread out in December 2019 in the Wuhan Province of Hubei, China, and Italy was the first country outside Asia to be involved. The COVID-19 pandemic is still raging all over the world after more than one year. The municipality of Vo’ Euganeo, 30 Km from PdUH, was recognized as the first COVID-19 cluster in Europe after the first confirmed death, the 27th of February 2020. Every day, healthcare workers on duty in Emergency Departments (ED) or in COVID-19 wards face the highest risk of Sars-Cov-2 infection and subsequent transmission. More than 350 Italian physicians have died of COVID-19 up to the end of April 2021 and the number of infected healthcare workers is still increasing day by day. Everywhere, healthcare systems are in such profound trouble that even the arrival of the SARS-Cov-2 vaccines has shown remarkable limits in controlling viral spread. Prevention of interpersonal diffusion remains crucial in reaching this goal; therefore, monitoring SARS-CoV-2 transmission I m m u n o g e n e t i c s : O p e n A c c e s s Immunogenetics: Open Access Research Article Correspondence to: Luigi Dall’Olmo, Department of Surgical Oncological and Gastroenterological Sciences– DISCOG, Padua University, Padua, Italy, E-mail: luigi.dallolmo@unipd.it Received: April 28, 2021; Accepted: May 12, 2021; Published: May 19, 2021 Citation: Barbaro F, Della Rocca FD, Padoan A, Aita A, Cianci V, et al. (2021) A Longitudinal Study of Healthcare Worker’s Surveillance During the Ongoing COVID-19 Epidemics in Italy. J Immunogenet Open Access. 6:149. Copyright: © 2021 Barbaro F, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Immunogenet Open Access, Vol.6 Iss.4 No:1000149 1