Introduction
Current knowledge suggests that children and young adults infected with
SARS-CoV-2 are more often asymptomatic, or have fewer and milder
symptoms than older patients 1-3. Children and teens
between 10 and 19 years may be more likely to spread the virus among
family members than adults and younger children 4. As
PCR testing is mainly performed on symptomatic patients, those in need
of hospitalization, patients at risk, and among health care workers, the
prevalence and rate of transmission in young asymptomatic individuals is
still largely unknown. So far, SARS-CoV-2 testing has not been performed
systematically on asymptomatic groups. Accurate estimates of infection
within different population groups is crucial for health authorities
when deciding how and when to close and reopen societies during the
COVID-19-pandemic.
Military service in Norway is mandatory for all men and women, and
annually between 7000 and 8000 conscripts undergo military conscription5. Enrollment of new conscripts is a continuous
process within the Norwegian Armed Forces to secure redundancy of
troops. In Norway, public infection control measures have successfully
curbed the rates of hospital admissions and deaths by COVID-194. Military training and service are not compatible
with public COVID-19 infection control measures, as service personnel
live close together in barracks, and combat training involves body
contact. To ensure military training and the health of military
personnel, stricter infection control measures to detect and prevent
SARS-CoV-2 transmission within the Norwegian Armed Forces were
implemented before and at enrollment to military service in mid-April
2020. The measures included a pre-enrollment telephone interview and
self-imposed quarantine before enrollment, as well as serial SARS-CoV-2
PCR and serology testing during a six weeks training period.
We present the results and discuss the value of the extended infection
control measures applied by the Norwegian Armed Forces Joint Medical
Services in April 2020.
We also present the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in 1170 young military
conscripts and the dynamic changes in antibody levels over six weeks.