Johannesburg (ANTARA) – Preliminary findings from two South African clinical trials suggest the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has a significantly higher rate of “asymptomatic carriers” than the previous variant.
This could explain why the Omicron spread so quickly around the world.
The two studies — one of which was conducted when Omicron infections spiked in South Africa last month and another that took participants back at the same time — found that the number of people who tested positive for COVID-19 but had no symptoms (asymptomatic) was much higher than the trial. previously.
In the Ubuntu study evaluating the efficacy of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in people with HIV, 31 percent of the 230 participants who underwent screening tested positive. Meanwhile, all 56 samples for genome sequencing analysis were verified as Omicron.
“This is in stark contrast to the positivity rate (variants) before Omicron, which ranged from less than 1 percent to 2.4 percent,” the researchers said in a statement.
Also read: Omicron variant dims Europe’s economic recovery
In the Sisonke trial subgroup evaluating the efficacy of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, the average asymptomatic carrier rate rose to 16 percent during the Omicron period from 2.6 percent during the Beta and Delta outbreaks.
“The Sisonke study involved 577 vaccine recipients, … with results showing high carrier rates even in those known to have been vaccinated,” he said.
The researchers added “higher rates of asymptomatic carriers are likely a major factor in malignancy of the Omicron variant, even among populations with previously high rates of COVID infection.”
South Africa has been facing a spike in COVID-19 cases since late November and at that time researchers warned the world about Omicron.
However, since then new cases have fallen again and early indications suggest that the wave has been characterized by less serious illness than the previous one.
Source: Reuters
Also read: Epidemiologists share three important keys to overcoming Omicron variants
Also read: WHO says Omicron symptoms are milder, but don’t take them lightly
Translator: Asri Mayang Sari
Editor: Anton Santoso
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