You may have had Covid and not know it. A new American study from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in the United States claims that most people infected with the Omicron variant are unaware that they have had the virus.
“More than one in two people who have been infected with Omicron did not know they had it,” said the doctor. Susan Cheng, author of the study published on JAMA Network Open. This lack of awareness increases the rush of the virus, as people, not knowing they are infected, do not take preventive measures to avoid transmission.
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The asymptomatic are between 25 and 80%
Previous studies have estimated that at least 25% and potentially up to 80% of people infected with the coronavirus may not experience symptoms.
The team of scientists monitored 2479 operators sanitary and patients with blood samples collected at the start of the Omicron wave. Of these, 210 were recently infected with the variant based on positive levels of antibodies in the blood. Following the interviews 44% of the participants who had the antibodies were aware that they were infected. There most were unaware that they had the virus, and only 10% reported having some symptoms, and thought they depended on something else.
“We hope people read these results and think, ‘I’m just starting to feel a little upset, maybe I should do a quick test,” said Cheng. “The better we understand our risks, the better we protect each other’s health and ourselves, ”he added.