SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare professionals: demographic characteristics and serological and immune responses related to progression's phenotype (ProHepiC19)

Type of project

Prospective cohort study

Brief summary and objectives

A big question is whether people who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 knowingly or unknowingly, and have developed symptoms or are asymptomatic develop permanent immunity to the virus.

The project will describe a cohort of health professionals exposed to SARS-CoV-2 by measuring immunological parameters that will distinguish between symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers. The prospective study has four cohorts of health workers: Healthy carriers; Non-infected symptomatic and asymptomatic professionals and Symptomatic and asymptomatic professionals with low level of exposure to SARS-Cov-2). Symptomatic means people with symptoms at the moment of the study.

The team will create an algorithm to characterise the population and identify the carrier status and the immune response from the results obtained in the initial RT-PCR and the humoral and cellular response associated with the progression phenotype.

Project leader

  • Pere Toran. IDIAP Jordi Gol.  Metropolitana Nord
  • Concepció Violan. IDIAP Jordi Gol. Metropolitana Nord
  • Julia Garcia Prado. IrsiCaixa
  • Eva Martinez Caceres. IGTP

The study will be carried out as a collaboration between the Foundation University Institute for Primary Health Care Research Jordi Gol i Gurina, the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute, IrsiCaixa and Barcelona Metropolitana Nord Health Primary Care and the Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital.

Project members

Primary Healthcare System of the Northern Metropolitan Territory of Barcelona, Catalan Institute of Health (ICS): Mònica Piña Rodriguez, Nemesio Moreno Millan, Esther Badia Perich, Josep Mª BONET Simó, Pilar Montero Alia, Eduard Moreno Gabriel and Mònica Monteagudo Zaragoza.

Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital: Bibiana Quirant Sánchez, Gema Fernandez Rivas, Sonia Molinos Abos, Jaume Barallat Martinez de Osaba, Bibiana Quirant Sanchez, Joan Matllo Aguilar, Elena Domenech Graells, Fernando Armestar Rodriguez and Maria Doladé Botias.

Funding bodies

The Ministry of Health and the Director General  Research and Innovation for the Department of Health of the Government of Catalonia through the Agència de Qualitat i Avaluació Sanitàries de Catalunya (AQUAS) and Biocat.

Projected timing

May 2020 – April 2021

This study is interrelated with other two proposals about SARS-CoV-2: Identificación y caracterización de la repuesta inmune T protectora frente a SARS-CoV-2: Guiando con éxito el diseño de vacunas and COVID-19, perfil inmunológico de riesgo

Associated news

Two projects at the IGTP and IDIAP Jordi Gol research centres focus on the immune response of health professionals to infection with SARS-CoV-2