According to a recent study published on Jama Network Open, more than half of the infected do not know they have had the Omicron variant of Covid, either because they are asymptomatic or because they have underestimated its symptoms: “Awareness will be the key to allow us to go beyond the pandemic “.
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More than one in two infected does not know they have had the variant Omicron of Covid.
This is what emerged from a new study carried out by researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in the USA and published on Jama Network Open.
And the reasons why this situation occurs are the most diverse, because the subjects in question are asymptomatic or why underestimate symptoms that occur in a mild form and so on.
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Among those who were found to have had the infection, “more than one in two”, 56%, “did not know that they were infected. awareness it will be the key to enabling us to move beyond this pandemic, “he explained Susan Chengdirector of the Institute for Research on Healthy Aging in the Cardiology Department of the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai and corresponding author of the study.
How the research took place
The research began in the fall of 2021, shortly before the spread of the Omicron variant, first identified in South Africa.
Among the healthcare professionals and patients who participated in the research, the scientists identified 2,479 people who had provided samples of blood just before or after the start of the Omicron wave and identified 210 people who were likely infected with Omicron based on the most recently positive levels of antibodies to Sars-CoV-2 in their blood.
Next, the researchers invited study participants to provide health status updates through surveys and interviews. Only 44% of those who had recently positive Sars-CoV-2 antibodies were aware that they were infected with the virus. The majority (56%) he was unaware of any recent Covid infections.
The “milder” symptoms
Compared to other variants of Sars-CoV-2, the scientists write, Omicron is associated with generally less severe symptoms that may include fatigue, cough, headache, sore throat or runny nose.
“The results of our studies add to the evidence that undiagnosed infections can increase transmission of the virus, “explained Sandy Y. Joung of Cedars-Sinai and first author of the study.” A low level of awareness of the infection probably contributed to the rapid spread of Omicron. “
Individual awareness
According to the researchers, more studies involving more people from different ethnicities and communities are needed to learn what specific factors are associated with the lack of awareness of the infection. “But we hope that people will read these results” because “the more we understand ours risksthe better protection of public health and ourselves, “concluded Cheng.
Therefore, “in a phase in which a large part of the management of the pandemic is entrusted to individual responsibility, it is up to each of us to decide how to behave if you have attended a meeting which then shows that a positive person was present or if you have symptoms that could suggest taking a test, “he added.