Clinical Characteristics of COVID-19 Patients Infected by the Omicron Variant of SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

BackgroundCurrently, as the omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) surges amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, its clinical characteristics with intrinsic severity and the protection from vaccination have been understudied.MethodsWe reported 169 COVID-19 patients that were infected with the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 and hospitalized in Suzhou, China, from February to March 2022, with their demographic information, medical/immunization history, clinical symptom, and hematological profile. At the same time, patients with none/partial (one-dose), full (two-dose) and three–dose vaccination were also compared to assess the vaccine effectiveness.FindingsFor the omicron COVID-19 patients included in this study, their median age was 33.0 [interquartile range (IQR): 24.0–45.5], 53.3% were male and the median duration from illness onset to hospitalization was 2 days. Hypertension, bronchitis, and diabetes were the leading comorbidities among patients. While the common clinical symptoms included cough, fever, expectoration, and fatigue, etc., asymptomatic patients took up a significant portion (46.7%). For hematological parameters, most values revealed the alleviated pathogenicity induced by the omicron variant infection. No critically ill or deceased patients due to COVID-19 infection were reported in this study.InterpretationOur results supported that the viremic effect of the omicron variant became milder than the previous circulating variants, while full vaccination or booster shot was greatly desired for an effective protection against clinical severity.

Case Report: The Experience of Managing a Moderate ARDS Caused by SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 Variant in Chongqing, China: Can We Do Better?

“…Omicron replicated faster than all other SARS-CoV-2 variants in the bronchi but less efficiently in the lung parenchyma ( 14 ). This is compatible with the epidemiological observations that infection with Omicron produces higher infectivity but a less severe disease ( 7 , 15 , 16 ). No studies to date have reported any specific symptoms of infection caused by the Omicron BA.2 variant.…”

COVID-19-Related Symptoms during the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (B.1.1.529) Variant Surge in Japan

“…As of June 2022, the B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant remains prevalent (Karim and Karim 2021;Petersen et al 2022). Although this variant is considered to result in milder symptoms with better outcomes compared to prior variants, disease is still not mild (Nealon and Cowling 2022;Zhang et al 2022). In addition to the change in severity of Omicron, the variant has also been suggested to show a lower prevalence of smell and taste disturbances, and a higher prevalence of sore throat and odynophagia (Piersiala et al 2022).…”

Impact of COVID-19 Vaccination on Healthcare Worker Infection Rate and Outcome during SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Outbreak in Hong Kong

“…The proportion of asymptomatic infection in our cohort was lower than studies described previously from South Africa (23%) and China (46.7%) but was similar to a cohort of healthcare personnel from New York (11%) during Omicron epidemic. [19,20,21] The actual proportion of asymptomatic infection in our cohort could be overestimated as the clinical data could have been submitted during pre-symptomatic stage of infection. Although being symptomatic and having exposure history were the most common reasons for undergoing testing, regular mandatory RAT played an important role in promote testing as up to 26.66% of the infected staff were identified as a result of such policy.…”