Awareness of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Infection Among Adults With Recent COVID-19 Seropositivity

Abstract

Importance: Some individuals who were infected by the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant may have been completely unaware of their infectious status while the virus was actively transmissible.

Objective: To examine awareness of infectious status among individuals during the recent Omicron variant surge in a diverse and populous urban region of Los Angeles County.

Design, setting, and participants: This cohort study analyzed the records of adult employees and patients of an academic medical center who were enrolled in a longitudinal COVID-19 serological study in Los Angeles County, California. These participants had 2 or more serial anti-nucleocapsid IgG (IgG-N) antibody measurements at least 1 month apart, with the first occurring after the end of a regional Delta variant surge (September 15, 2021) and a subsequent one occurring after the start of a regional Omicron variant surge (December 15, 2021). Adults with evidence of new SARS-CoV-2 infection occurring during the Omicron variant surge period through May 4, 2022, were included in the present study sample.

Exposures: Recent Omicron variant infection as evidenced by SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion.

Main outcomes and measures: Awareness of recent SARS-CoV-2 infection was ascertained from review of self-reported health updates, medical records, and COVID-19 testing data.

Results: Of the 210 participants (median [range] age, 51 (23-84) years; 136 women [65%]) with serological evidence of recent Omicron variant infection, 44% (92) demonstrated awareness of any recent Omicron variant infection and 56% (118) reported being unaware of their infectious status. Among those who were unaware, 10% (12 of 118) reported having had any symptoms, which they attributed to a common cold or other non-SARS-CoV-2 infection. In multivariable analyses that accounted for demographic and clinical characteristics, participants who were health care employees of the medical center were more likely than nonemployees to be aware of their recent Omicron variant infection (adjusted odds ratio, 2.46; 95% CI, 1.30-4.65).

Conclusions and relevance: Results of this study suggest that more than half of adults with recent Omicron variant infection were unaware of their infectious status and that awareness was higher among health care employees than nonemployees, yet still low overall. Unawareness may be a highly prevalent factor associated with rapid person-to-person transmission within communities.

Figure 1.. Awareness of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Infection

Of the 210 adults with contemporaneously available self-reported, medical, and testing data on SARS-CoV-2 infection, only 92 (44%) demonstrated awareness of any recent Omicron variant infection (Table) and 118 (56%) were unaware of their infectious status. Rates of awareness were generally similar across demographic and clinical characteristics.

Figure 2.. Unadjusted Logistic Regression Analysis of Association Between Preexisting Characteristics and Awareness of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Infection

COPD indicates chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; OR, odds ratio.

Figure 3.. Multivariable-Adjusted Logistic Regression Analysis of Association Between Preexisting Characteristics and Awareness of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Infection

All variables were considered as candidate variables, and P = .10 was the criterion for model entry or exit in the stepwise selection. OR indicates odds ratio.