A new study has reported that more than half of those infected with the "Omicron" variant are unaware that they carry the virus, increasing the risk of inadvertently spreading COVID-19. According to "New Scientist," the study was conducted at Cedar Sinai Medical Center in California, where researcher Susan Cheng and her colleagues took blood samples from 2,479 individuals working at a Los Angeles medical center, who had received only one vaccine dose.
At least two samples were taken from each participant before December 15, 2021, followed by subsequent sampling before May 4, 2022, which was when "Omicron" became predominant. By measuring the levels of antibodies to the coronavirus in the blood samples and examining the type of antibodies among those who had received one vaccine dose, it was found that 56% of them had recently contracted the virus without being aware of it.
One in ten participants reported experiencing mild symptoms but were unaware that it was a COVID-19 infection, attributing it instead to a cold. Cheng stated, "Further work is needed to determine whether these findings apply beyond the individual center studied in Los Angeles."
