Characterising the evolving SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in urban and rural Malawi between February 2021 and April 2022: a population-based cohort study

Malawi, one of the lowest income countries in Africa [1], has experienced four waves of COVID-19 in the first two years of the pandemic; June-August 2020 (wave 1, likely ancestral), December 2020-April 2021 (wave 2, Beta) June-September 2021 (wave 3, Delta) and December 2021-January 2022 (wave 4, Omicron BA.1/2; Figure 1) [2]. Due to limited SARS-CoV-2 testing [3] and surveillance, in addition to a high proportion of asymptomatic infections, the number of confirmed cases likely substantially underestimates the true burden of COVID-19 in Malawi, even more so than in other settings.

Source: International Journal of Infectious Diseases - October 27, 2023 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Louis Banda, Antonia Ho, Stephen Kasenda, Jonathan M Read, Chris Jewell, Alison Price, Estelle McLean, Albert Dube, David Chaima, Lyson Samikwa, Tonney S Nyirenda, Ellen C Hughes, Brian J Willett, Annie Chauma Mwale, Abena S Amoah, Amelia Crampin Source Type: research