Time Half of People With Omicron Don t Know They re Infected Study Says Skip to main content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Los Angeles, 15 September 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles Time Half of People With Omicron Don t Know They re Infected Study Says Susan Cheng, MD, MPH, is associate professor of Cardiology and director of the Institute for Research on Healthy Aging in the Department of Cardiology at the Smidt Heart Institute. Photo by Cedars-Sinai. Time recently interviewed Susan Cheng, MD, MPH, director of the Institute for Research on Healthy Aging in the Department of Cardiology at the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai, about a study she led that found many individuals infected with the Omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 didn’t know they had it. In research published in JAMA Network Open, Cheng and her team reviewed blood samples from 2,479 Cedars-Sinai employees and patients collected before and after the Omicron-induced surge. To be included in the study, an individual’s blood had to indicate increased levels of COVID-19 antibodies after the Omicron surge, a likely sign of a recent infection from the highly contagious variant. The researchers invited the 210 participants who qualified for the study to complete health surveys indicating whether they had recently experienced a COVID-19 infection. Cheng and her team determined that 56% of positive people were unaware they had been infected with Omicron. Because the variant often causes mild symptoms similar to those of a cold or allergies, it could easily be dismissed. Cheng told Time that these findings could help explain why Omicron spread so easily. "Lack of awareness and knowledge could lead to walking around with something transmissible and unwittingly passing the virus to a household member, neighbor, co-worker or someone at the grocery store," Cheng told Time. Cheng said it’s a good idea to regularly test with at-home rapid antigen kits—even for those without symptoms—because public transportation, work, school and crowded public venues are places where the virus can easily spread. “If one message comes out of our study, I hope it’s that awareness of your infection status is going to be really key to get us through this pandemic faster,” Cheng told Time. Click here to read the complete article from Time. Related Stories RSS feed - Related Stories (opens in new window) View all headlines - Related Stories HealthDay Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries October 07, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles HealthDay recently interviewed Rebecca J. Schneyer, MD, a resident in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program at Cedars-Sinai, about a study she led that found Black and Hispanic women were less likely than white women to receive minimally … Read more KCRW Want New Omicron Booster Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot October 06, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles KCRW program Press Play recently featured Rita Shane, PharmD, vice president and chief pharmacy officer at Cedars-Sinai, discussing who qualifies for the updated COVID-19 booster and how long patients must wait before getting the shot.The Centers … Read more ABC 7 Spider-Man Swings by 4-Year-Old Leukemia Patient s Birthday Party at Cedars-Sinai September 30, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles ABC 7 recently profiled Cedars-Sinai patient Jabari Henley, who celebrated his fourth birthday with a special superhero at Guerin Children's newly opened inpatient facility.The Lifedriven Foundation helped throw Henley a surprise party in the Guerin … Read more Show previous items Show next items Contact the Media Team Email: [email protected] Share this release Time Half of People With Omicron Don t Know They re Infected Study Says Share on: Twitter Share on: Facebook Share on: LinkedIn Search Our Newsroom Social media Follow us on Twitter (opens in new window) Visit our Facebook page (opens in new window) (opens in new window) Visit our Youtube profile (opens in new window) Latest news 07 Oct 2022 - HealthDay Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries 07 Oct 2022 - Faculty Publications: Sept. 29-Oct. 6 07 Oct 2022 - Fine-Tuning Organ-Chip Technology 06 Oct 2022 - KCRW Want New Omicron Booster Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot 05 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Schedules Free Flu Vaccine Clinics 04 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Showcases Hispanic and Latinx Art Newsroom Home