On the 19th of last month, commuters were seen wearing masks while moving through Gwanghwamun Station of the Seoul subway during their morning commute. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A study has found that more than half of the people infected with the COVID-19 variant virus Omicron were unaware of their infection.
Recently, the nonprofit medical organization 'Cedars-Sinai' in Los Angeles (LA), USA, announced these research results on its website. The study was also published in the international journal of the American Medical Association, 'JAMA Network Open.'
According to the organization, the researchers collected and analyzed a total of 2,479 blood samples from healthcare workers and patients during the rapid surge of Omicron infections.
Analysis of antibodies in the blood showed that 210 people were infected with Omicron. However, only 44% of them were aware of their infection. The researchers stated that the remaining 56% did not know whether they were infected.
In particular, among those unaware of their infection, 10% showed symptoms similar to a cold, but most had no symptoms. This indicates that many people contracted and recovered from Omicron without realizing it.
In this regard, the researchers suggested that the low level of infection awareness may have contributed to the rapid spread of Omicron. They explained that people who did not know they were infected might have spread Omicron to others.
Based on this, the researchers urged active COVID testing. They emphasized, "Please get tested immediately if you feel unwell," and added, "The better you understand your own risk, the better you can protect everyone's health."
Meanwhile, Omicron was first discovered in November last year and rapidly spread worldwide, becoming the dominant strain. It spread much faster than previous viruses and caused more breakthrough infections.
Recently, a study also revealed that Omicron-infected individuals release up to 1,000 times more virus than those infected with previous variants.
According to the international journal 'Nature' on the 19th, a joint research team from Colorado State University and the University of Maryland in the USA recruited 93 patients infected with Omicron, Delta, and Alpha variants from mid-2020 to early this year to investigate viral shedding.
The results showed that people infected with Omicron, Delta, and Alpha variants released more virus compared to the original COVID-19 virus discovered in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019, or previous variants such as Gamma.
In particular, older individuals or those who frequently coughed released more virus. The researchers stated that one Omicron-infected patient released up to 1,000 times more virus compared to those infected with other variants.
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