Conclusion
Approximately one in ten individuals in the regional capitals of Cameroon had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 by December 2020, indicating extensive and under-reported circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in the country, with almost 100-fold more cases across Cameroon as compared to the number of cases reported to the WHO. This finding highlights the importance of conducting seroprevalence surveys especially in places where access to testing may be limited and repeating such surveys as part of tracking the trajectory of the pandemic.
Seroprevalence surveys, if conducted using accurate testing algorithms, can capture a fuller burden of infection in a population, allowing public health officials to decide on an effective pandemic response and identify subgroups at higher risk for infection. With the availability of home-testing and more mild disease, reported numbers of infections will become less reliable and national seroprevalence surveys will become more important to understand disease burden and geographical impacts on a population.