Most People Infected With The Omicron Variant Of Covid 19 Did Not Know It

Cedars-Sinai researchers find that 56% did not know they were infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. The majority of people who were likely infected with the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, did not know they had the virus. That’s according to a new study by Cedars-Sinai researchers. The findings were published Aug. 17, 2022, in JAMA Network Open. “More than one in two people infected with Omicron did not know they had it,” said Susan Cheng, MD, MPH. Cheng is director 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. “Awareness will be key to enabling us to move beyond this pandemic.” Previous studies have estimated that at least 25% and possibly as many as 80% of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 may not develop symptoms. Compared to other SARS-CoV-2 variants, the Omicron variant is associated with generally less severe symptoms that may include fatigue, headache, cough, sore throat or runny nose. “Our study findings add to evidence that undiagnosed infections can increase viral transmission,” said Sandy Y. Joung, MHDS, a researcher at Cedars-Sinai and the study’s first author. “A low level of awareness about the infection likely contributed to the rapid spread of Omicron.” Researchers began collecting blood samples from health care workers more than two years ago as part of research into the effects of COVID-19 and the effects of vaccines. In the fall of 2021, shortly before the omicron variant began to rise, researchers were able to expand enrollment to include patients, thanks to the study infrastructure and biospecimen processing support provided by Sapient Bioanalytics. Of the health care workers and patients surveyed, the researchers identified 2,479 people who had blood samples taken shortly before or after the start of the Omicron outbreak. Based on recent positive levels of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in their blood, the researchers identified 210 people who were likely infected with the Omicron variant. The researchers then invited study participants to provide health status updates through interviews and surveys. Just 44% of study participants with recent positive SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were aware that they had been infected with the virus. The majority (56%) did not know of any recent infection with COVID-19. Of those who did not know, only 10% reported having recent symptoms, which they attributed to a common cold or other type of infection. According to the researchers, more studies involving larger numbers of people from different ethnicities and communities are needed to learn which specific factors are associated with a lack of awareness about the infection. “We hope people will read these findings and think, ‘I was just at a gathering where someone tested positive,’ or ‘I’m just starting to feel a little under the weather. Maybe I should do a quick test.’ The better we understand our own risks, the better we can protect the public’s health as well as ourselves,” said Cheng, the Erika J. Glazer Chair in Women’s Cardiovascular Health and Population Science at Cedars-Sinai. Cheng and colleagues are also studying patterns and predictors of reinfections and their potential to confer long-term immunity to SARS-CoV-2. In addition to raising awareness, this information could help people manage their individual risk. Reference: “Awareness of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Infection Among Adults With Recent COVID-19 Seropositivity” by Sandy Y. Joung, MHDS; Joseph E. Ebinger, MD, MS; Nancy Sun, MPS; Yunxian Liu, PhD; Min Wu, MPH; Amber B. Tang, MD; John C. Prostko; Edwin C. Frias; James L. Stewart, PhD; Kimia Sobhani, PhD and Susan Cheng, MD, MPH, August 17, 2022, JAMA Network Open.DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.27241 Other Cedars-Sinai researchers who worked on this study include Joseph E. Ebinger, MD; Nancy Sun, MPS; Yunxian Liu, PhD; Min Wu, MPH, and Kimia Sobhani, PhD. Learn more about this ongoing COVID-19 study here. Funding: The study was funded by the Erika J. Glazer Family Foundation and Sapient Bioanalytics LLC. Disclosures: Kimia Sobhani, PhD, has served as a consultant for Abbott Diagnostics and Sapient Bioanalytics, a company that supported sample collection and processing for this study.

title: “Most People Infected With The Omicron Variant Of Covid 19 Did Not Know It Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-06” author: “Guadalupe Campbell”

Cedars-Sinai researchers find that 56% did not know they were infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. The majority of people who were likely infected with the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, did not know they had the virus. That’s according to a new study by Cedars-Sinai researchers. The findings were published Aug. 17, 2022, in JAMA Network Open. “More than one in two people infected with Omicron did not know they had it,” said Susan Cheng, MD, MPH. Cheng is director 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. “Awareness will be key to enabling us to move beyond this pandemic.” Previous studies have estimated that at least 25% and possibly as many as 80% of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 may not develop symptoms. Compared to other SARS-CoV-2 variants, the Omicron variant is associated with generally less severe symptoms that may include fatigue, headache, cough, sore throat or runny nose. “Our study findings add to evidence that undiagnosed infections can increase viral transmission,” said Sandy Y. Joung, MHDS, a researcher at Cedars-Sinai and the study’s first author. “A low level of awareness about the infection likely contributed to the rapid spread of Omicron.” Researchers began collecting blood samples from health care workers more than two years ago as part of research into the effects of COVID-19 and the effects of vaccines. In the fall of 2021, shortly before the omicron variant began to rise, researchers were able to expand enrollment to include patients, thanks to the study infrastructure and biospecimen processing support provided by Sapient Bioanalytics. Of the health care workers and patients surveyed, the researchers identified 2,479 people who had blood samples taken shortly before or after the start of the Omicron outbreak. Based on recent positive levels of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in their blood, the researchers identified 210 people who were likely infected with the Omicron variant. The researchers then invited study participants to provide health status updates through interviews and surveys. Just 44% of study participants with recent positive SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were aware that they had been infected with the virus. The majority (56%) did not know of any recent infection with COVID-19. Of those who did not know, only 10% reported having recent symptoms, which they attributed to a common cold or other type of infection. According to the researchers, more studies involving larger numbers of people from different ethnicities and communities are needed to learn which specific factors are associated with a lack of awareness about the infection. “We hope people will read these findings and think, ‘I was just at a gathering where someone tested positive,’ or ‘I’m just starting to feel a little under the weather. Maybe I should do a quick test.’ The better we understand our own risks, the better we can protect the public’s health as well as ourselves,” said Cheng, the Erika J. Glazer Chair in Women’s Cardiovascular Health and Population Science at Cedars-Sinai. Cheng and colleagues are also studying patterns and predictors of reinfections and their potential to confer long-term immunity to SARS-CoV-2. In addition to raising awareness, this information could help people manage their individual risk. Reference: “Awareness of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Infection Among Adults With Recent COVID-19 Seropositivity” by Sandy Y. Joung, MHDS; Joseph E. Ebinger, MD, MS; Nancy Sun, MPS; Yunxian Liu, PhD; Min Wu, MPH; Amber B. Tang, MD; John C. Prostko; Edwin C. Frias; James L. Stewart, PhD; Kimia Sobhani, PhD and Susan Cheng, MD, MPH, August 17, 2022, JAMA Network Open.DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.27241 Other Cedars-Sinai researchers who worked on this study include Joseph E. Ebinger, MD; Nancy Sun, MPS; Yunxian Liu, PhD; Min Wu, MPH, and Kimia Sobhani, PhD. Learn more about this ongoing COVID-19 study here. Funding: The study was funded by the Erika J. Glazer Family Foundation and Sapient Bioanalytics LLC. Disclosures: Kimia Sobhani, PhD, has served as a consultant for Abbott Diagnostics and Sapient Bioanalytics, a company that supported sample collection and processing for this study.

title: “Most People Infected With The Omicron Variant Of Covid 19 Did Not Know It Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-16” author: “Doris Kent”

Cedars-Sinai researchers find that 56% did not know they were infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. The majority of people who were likely infected with the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, did not know they had the virus. That’s according to a new study by Cedars-Sinai researchers. The findings were published Aug. 17, 2022, in JAMA Network Open. “More than one in two people infected with Omicron did not know they had it,” said Susan Cheng, MD, MPH. Cheng is director 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. “Awareness will be key to enabling us to move beyond this pandemic.” Previous studies have estimated that at least 25% and possibly as many as 80% of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 may not develop symptoms. Compared to other SARS-CoV-2 variants, the Omicron variant is associated with generally less severe symptoms that may include fatigue, headache, cough, sore throat or runny nose. “Our study findings add to evidence that undiagnosed infections can increase viral transmission,” said Sandy Y. Joung, MHDS, a researcher at Cedars-Sinai and the study’s first author. “A low level of awareness about the infection likely contributed to the rapid spread of Omicron.” Researchers began collecting blood samples from health care workers more than two years ago as part of research into the effects of COVID-19 and the effects of vaccines. In the fall of 2021, shortly before the omicron variant began to rise, researchers were able to expand enrollment to include patients, thanks to the study infrastructure and biospecimen processing support provided by Sapient Bioanalytics. Of the health care workers and patients surveyed, the researchers identified 2,479 people who had blood samples taken shortly before or after the start of the Omicron outbreak. Based on recent positive levels of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in their blood, the researchers identified 210 people who were likely infected with the Omicron variant. The researchers then invited study participants to provide health status updates through interviews and surveys. Just 44% of study participants with recent positive SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were aware that they had been infected with the virus. The majority (56%) did not know of any recent infection with COVID-19. Of those who did not know, only 10% reported having recent symptoms, which they attributed to a common cold or other type of infection. According to the researchers, more studies involving larger numbers of people from different ethnicities and communities are needed to learn which specific factors are associated with a lack of awareness about the infection. “We hope people will read these findings and think, ‘I was just at a gathering where someone tested positive,’ or ‘I’m just starting to feel a little under the weather. Maybe I should do a quick test.’ The better we understand our own risks, the better we can protect the public’s health as well as ourselves,” said Cheng, the Erika J. Glazer Chair in Women’s Cardiovascular Health and Population Science at Cedars-Sinai. Cheng and colleagues are also studying patterns and predictors of reinfections and their potential to confer long-term immunity to SARS-CoV-2. In addition to raising awareness, this information could help people manage their individual risk. Reference: “Awareness of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Infection Among Adults With Recent COVID-19 Seropositivity” by Sandy Y. Joung, MHDS; Joseph E. Ebinger, MD, MS; Nancy Sun, MPS; Yunxian Liu, PhD; Min Wu, MPH; Amber B. Tang, MD; John C. Prostko; Edwin C. Frias; James L. Stewart, PhD; Kimia Sobhani, PhD and Susan Cheng, MD, MPH, August 17, 2022, JAMA Network Open.DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.27241 Other Cedars-Sinai researchers who worked on this study include Joseph E. Ebinger, MD; Nancy Sun, MPS; Yunxian Liu, PhD; Min Wu, MPH, and Kimia Sobhani, PhD. Learn more about this ongoing COVID-19 study here. Funding: The study was funded by the Erika J. Glazer Family Foundation and Sapient Bioanalytics LLC. Disclosures: Kimia Sobhani, PhD, has served as a consultant for Abbott Diagnostics and Sapient Bioanalytics, a company that supported sample collection and processing for this study.

title: “Most People Infected With The Omicron Variant Of Covid 19 Did Not Know It Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-23” author: “Ada Lambert”

Cedars-Sinai researchers find that 56% did not know they were infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. The majority of people who were likely infected with the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, did not know they had the virus. That’s according to a new study by Cedars-Sinai researchers. The findings were published Aug. 17, 2022, in JAMA Network Open. “More than one in two people infected with Omicron did not know they had it,” said Susan Cheng, MD, MPH. Cheng is director 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. “Awareness will be key to enabling us to move beyond this pandemic.” Previous studies have estimated that at least 25% and possibly as many as 80% of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 may not develop symptoms. Compared to other SARS-CoV-2 variants, the Omicron variant is associated with generally less severe symptoms that may include fatigue, headache, cough, sore throat or runny nose. “Our study findings add to evidence that undiagnosed infections can increase viral transmission,” said Sandy Y. Joung, MHDS, a researcher at Cedars-Sinai and the study’s first author. “A low level of awareness about the infection likely contributed to the rapid spread of Omicron.” Researchers began collecting blood samples from health care workers more than two years ago as part of research into the effects of COVID-19 and the effects of vaccines. In the fall of 2021, shortly before the omicron variant began to rise, researchers were able to expand enrollment to include patients, thanks to the study infrastructure and biospecimen processing support provided by Sapient Bioanalytics. Of the health care workers and patients surveyed, the researchers identified 2,479 people who had blood samples taken shortly before or after the start of the Omicron outbreak. Based on recent positive levels of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in their blood, the researchers identified 210 people who were likely infected with the Omicron variant. The researchers then invited study participants to provide health status updates through interviews and surveys. Just 44% of study participants with recent positive SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were aware that they had been infected with the virus. The majority (56%) did not know of any recent infection with COVID-19. Of those who did not know, only 10% reported having recent symptoms, which they attributed to a common cold or other type of infection. According to the researchers, more studies involving larger numbers of people from different ethnicities and communities are needed to learn which specific factors are associated with a lack of awareness about the infection. “We hope people will read these findings and think, ‘I was just at a gathering where someone tested positive,’ or ‘I’m just starting to feel a little under the weather. Maybe I should do a quick test.’ The better we understand our own risks, the better we can protect the public’s health as well as ourselves,” said Cheng, the Erika J. Glazer Chair in Women’s Cardiovascular Health and Population Science at Cedars-Sinai. Cheng and colleagues are also studying patterns and predictors of reinfections and their potential to confer long-term immunity to SARS-CoV-2. In addition to raising awareness, this information could help people manage their individual risk. Reference: “Awareness of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Infection Among Adults With Recent COVID-19 Seropositivity” by Sandy Y. Joung, MHDS; Joseph E. Ebinger, MD, MS; Nancy Sun, MPS; Yunxian Liu, PhD; Min Wu, MPH; Amber B. Tang, MD; John C. Prostko; Edwin C. Frias; James L. Stewart, PhD; Kimia Sobhani, PhD and Susan Cheng, MD, MPH, August 17, 2022, JAMA Network Open.DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.27241 Other Cedars-Sinai researchers who worked on this study include Joseph E. Ebinger, MD; Nancy Sun, MPS; Yunxian Liu, PhD; Min Wu, MPH, and Kimia Sobhani, PhD. Learn more about this ongoing COVID-19 study here. Funding: The study was funded by the Erika J. Glazer Family Foundation and Sapient Bioanalytics LLC. Disclosures: Kimia Sobhani, PhD, has served as a consultant for Abbott Diagnostics and Sapient Bioanalytics, a company that supported sample collection and processing for this study.

title: “Most People Infected With The Omicron Variant Of Covid 19 Did Not Know It Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-12” author: “Mary Arredondo”

Cedars-Sinai researchers find that 56% did not know they were infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. The majority of people who were likely infected with the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, did not know they had the virus. That’s according to a new study by Cedars-Sinai researchers. The findings were published Aug. 17, 2022, in JAMA Network Open. “More than one in two people infected with Omicron did not know they had it,” said Susan Cheng, MD, MPH. Cheng is director 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. “Awareness will be key to enabling us to move beyond this pandemic.” Previous studies have estimated that at least 25% and possibly as many as 80% of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 may not develop symptoms. Compared to other SARS-CoV-2 variants, the Omicron variant is associated with generally less severe symptoms that may include fatigue, headache, cough, sore throat or runny nose. “Our study findings add to evidence that undiagnosed infections can increase viral transmission,” said Sandy Y. Joung, MHDS, a researcher at Cedars-Sinai and the study’s first author. “A low level of awareness about the infection likely contributed to the rapid spread of Omicron.” Researchers began collecting blood samples from health care workers more than two years ago as part of research into the effects of COVID-19 and the effects of vaccines. In the fall of 2021, shortly before the omicron variant began to rise, researchers were able to expand enrollment to include patients, thanks to the study infrastructure and biospecimen processing support provided by Sapient Bioanalytics. Of the health care workers and patients surveyed, the researchers identified 2,479 people who had blood samples taken shortly before or after the start of the Omicron outbreak. Based on recent positive levels of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in their blood, the researchers identified 210 people who were likely infected with the Omicron variant. The researchers then invited study participants to provide health status updates through interviews and surveys. Just 44% of study participants with recent positive SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were aware that they had been infected with the virus. The majority (56%) did not know of any recent infection with COVID-19. Of those who did not know, only 10% reported having recent symptoms, which they attributed to a common cold or other type of infection. According to the researchers, more studies involving larger numbers of people from different ethnicities and communities are needed to learn which specific factors are associated with a lack of awareness about the infection. “We hope people will read these findings and think, ‘I was just at a gathering where someone tested positive,’ or ‘I’m just starting to feel a little under the weather. Maybe I should do a quick test.’ The better we understand our own risks, the better we can protect the public’s health as well as ourselves,” said Cheng, the Erika J. Glazer Chair in Women’s Cardiovascular Health and Population Science at Cedars-Sinai. Cheng and colleagues are also studying patterns and predictors of reinfections and their potential to confer long-term immunity to SARS-CoV-2. In addition to raising awareness, this information could help people manage their individual risk. Reference: “Awareness of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Infection Among Adults With Recent COVID-19 Seropositivity” by Sandy Y. Joung, MHDS; Joseph E. Ebinger, MD, MS; Nancy Sun, MPS; Yunxian Liu, PhD; Min Wu, MPH; Amber B. Tang, MD; John C. Prostko; Edwin C. Frias; James L. Stewart, PhD; Kimia Sobhani, PhD and Susan Cheng, MD, MPH, August 17, 2022, JAMA Network Open.DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.27241 Other Cedars-Sinai researchers who worked on this study include Joseph E. Ebinger, MD; Nancy Sun, MPS; Yunxian Liu, PhD; Min Wu, MPH, and Kimia Sobhani, PhD. Learn more about this ongoing COVID-19 study here. Funding: The study was funded by the Erika J. Glazer Family Foundation and Sapient Bioanalytics LLC. Disclosures: Kimia Sobhani, PhD, has served as a consultant for Abbott Diagnostics and Sapient Bioanalytics, a company that supported sample collection and processing for this study.