South African studies suggest Omicron has higher ‘asymptomatic carriage’

11/1/2022 18:55

        Preliminary findings from two South African clinical trials suggest the Omicron coronavirus variant has a much higher rate of "asymptomatic carriage" than earlier variants, which could explain why it has spread so rapidly across the globe.
        
        The studies - one of which was carried out when Omicron infections were surging in South Africa last month and another which resampled participants around the same time - found a far greater number of people tested positive for the coronavirus but were not showing symptoms compared to previous trials.
        
        South Africa experienced a surge in COVID-19 infections from late November, around the time its scientists alerted the world to Omicron.