Omicron: Most people infected with the virus didn't know it, new study shows

If you still haven't tested positive for the Omicron variant of the coronavirus yet, you probably got infected without realizing it. According to a new research, the low levels of public awareness about being infected is a major stumbling block for tackling new waves of the pandemic as it means people are unknowingly spreading the virus, Sky News reports.

The numbers

A group of researchers at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in the US have for the past two years been looking into the effects of Covid-19 and the impact of vaccines. Dr Susan Cheng, a corresponding author of the study which is published in JAMA Network Open said:

More than one in every two people who were infected with Omicron didn't know they had it. [this] low level of infection awareness has likely contributed to the fast spread of Omicron.

These findings largely agree with previous studies that found that at least 25% and potentially as many as 80% of people infected with the coronavirus may not experience symptoms.

What this means

The research started with the collection of blood samples from healthcare workers and was subsequently expanded to include their patients. Out of 2,479 collected at the start of the Omicron outbreak, the researchers found 210 people who were infected with the variant based on newly positive levels of antibodies in their blood, Sky News says.

Not only were most people unaware of any infection, only about 10% reported having any symptoms at all. According to Dr Cheng:

We hope people will read these findings and think 'I was just at a gathering where someone tested positive' or 'I just started to feel a little under the weather, maybe I should get a quick test.

Read more:

⋙ Covid-19: Omicron boosters to be rolled out in autumn, are you eligible to get them?

⋙ New Covid-19 Omicron vaccine in the United States: Here's everything we know

⋙ Covid-19: UK approves new vaccine that protects against Omicron and original strain