Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jan 17;37(3):e31.
doi: 10.3346/jkms.2022.37.e31.

Clinical Characteristics of 40 Patients Infected With the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant in Korea

Min-Kyung Kim #  1 , Bora Lee #  2 , Youn Young Choi  3 , Jihye Um  4 , Kyung-Shin Lee  4 , Ho Kyung Sung  4 , Yeonjae Kim  1 , Jun-Sun Park  4 , Myungsun Lee  5 , Hee-Chang Jang  5 , Ji Hwan Bang  6 , Ki-Hyun Chung  3 , Jaehyun Jeon  7
Affiliations

Clinical Characteristics of 40 Patients Infected With the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant in Korea

Min-Kyung Kim et al. J Korean Med Sci. .

Abstract

Since severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 variant B.1.1.529 (omicron) was first reported to the World Health Organization on November 24, 2021, the cases of the omicron variant have been detected in more than 90 countries over the last month. We investigated the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the first 40 patients with the omicron variant who had been isolated at the National Medical Center in South Korea during December 4-17, 2021. The median age of the patients was 39.5 years. Twenty-two patients (55%) were women. Seventeen patients (42.5%) were fully vaccinated, and none were reinfected with the omicron. Eighteen (45%) had recent international travel history. Half of the patients (19, 47.5%) were asymptomatic, while the others had mild symptoms. Six patients (15%) showed lung infiltrations on chest image; however, none required supplemental oxygen. These mild clinical features are consistent with recent case reports on the omicron variant from other countries.

Keywords: B.1.1.529 SARS-CoV-2 Variant; COVID-19; Cohort Studies; Republic of Korea.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

References

    1. World Health Organization. Classification of omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern. [Updated 2021]. [Accessed December 22, 2021]. https://www.who.int/news/item/26-11-2021-classification-of-omicron-(b.1.... .
    1. Ingraham NE, Ingbar DH. The omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2: understanding the known and living with unknowns. Clin Transl Med. 2021;11(12):e685. - PMC - PubMed
    1. UK Health Security Agency. SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and variants under investigation in England. [Updated 2021]. [Accessed December 22, 2021]. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploa... .
    1. Dyer O. Covid-19: South Africa’s surge in cases deepens alarm over omicron variant. BMJ. 2021;375(3013):n3013. - PubMed
    1. ECDC. Assessment of the further emergence and potential impact of the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant of concern in the context of ongoing transmission of the Delta variant of concern in the EU/EEA, 18th. Updated 15 December 2021. [Updated 2021]. [Accessed December 22, 2021]. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/covid-19-assess... .

Supplementary concepts