Clinical characteristics of COVID‐19 patients infected by the Omicron variants in Macao, China: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract

Background and Aims: The evolving mutants of SARS-CoV-2 have made the COVID-19 pandemic sustained for over 3 years. In 2022, BA.4 and BA.5 were the Omicron variants dominating the spread globally. Although COVID-19 was no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) as announced by WHO, the SARS-CoV-2 variants remain a challenge to global healthcare under the circumstances of withdrawal and loosening of personal protective behavior in the post-quarantine era. This study aims to acknowledge the clinical characteristics caused by Omicron BA.4/BA.5 in COVID-19 naive people and analyze possible factors affecting disease severities. Methods: In this retrospective study, we report and analyze the clinical features of 1820 COVID-19 patients infected with the BA.4/BA.5 Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2 during a local outbreak that occurred in Macao SAR, China, from June to July 2022.Results: A total of 83.5% of patients were symptomatic eventually. The most common symptoms were fever, cough, and sore throat. Hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes mellitus were the leading comorbidities. There were significantly more elderly patients (p < 0.001), more patients with comorbidity (p < 0.001) and more patients without vaccination or not completing the series (p < 0.001) in the "Severe to Critical" group. All deceased patients were elderly with at least three comorbidities and were partial to totally dependent in their daily lives. Conclusion:Our data are consistent with a milder disease caused by BA.4/5 Omicron variants in the general population, while patients with old age and comorbidities have developed severe to critical diseases. Complete vaccination series and booster doses are effective strategies to reinforce protection against severe diseases and avoid mortality.

Assessment of vaccinations and breakthrough infections after adjustment of the dynamic zero-COVID-19 strategy in China: an online survey

“…Consistent with previous reports, comorbidities related to COVID-19 severity include hypertension, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular disease and tumors, etc. (Table S2) [ 22 , 30 ]. The proportion of self-reported asymptomatic participants in positive participants was only 0.7%, which was significantly lower than previous reports [ 7–11 ].…”

Ensitrelvir Fumaric Acid in Patients with SARS-CoV-2: A Retrospective Chart Review

“…In this case series, ensitrelvir also demonstrated antiviral activity; viral clearance (defined in the methods section) was achieved by day 5 in 18/32 (56.3%) patients. Viral persistence is an unmet need for patients with COVID-19, particularly for immunocompromised patients[25, 26] and patients with comorbidities[28, 29] for whom COVID-19 infection is associated with negative outcomes[21–23, 48, 49]. Prolonged SARS-CoV-2 infection has been linked with rapid viral evolution[50, 51], and it has also been hypothesized that viral persistence may increase the likelihood of long COVID[52–54].…”

“…Booster vaccines and hybrid immunity (immunity developed from both vaccina�on and previous SARS-CoV-2 infec�on) consistently provide high protec�on against Omicron-related severe disease, but their effec�veness wanes over �me [16][17][18]; furthermore, many monoclonal an�bodies previously used to treat people infected with SARS-CoV-2 have demonstrated reduced neutraliza�on and binding affinity to the Omicron variant and its sublineages [19,20]. Pa�ents with severe comorbidi�es are s�ll at increased risk of poor outcomes when infected with the Omicron variant, including progression to severe disease and death [21][22][23]. Addi�onally, pa�ents with severe comorbidity burden and immunocompromised pa�ents, including those on hemodialysis [24], are likely to be at more risk from prolonged viral shedding and viral persistence [25][26][27][28][29].…”

Clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of COVID-19 infection among cancer patients during the December 2022 – February 2023 Omicron variant outbreak

“…Cancer patients are vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection due to their physical condition and compromised immune system, potentially leading to more severe disease manifestations and poorer prognoses ( 12 , 13 ). Nevertheless, there is still a lack of extensive research on the effects of the Omicron variant on cancer patients in China ( 14 , 15 ). Therefore, this study aims to analyze the infection characteristics, outcomes, and vaccination status of this special population during the COVID-19 Omicron pandemic, providing scientific evidence for clinical treatment and prevention and control strategies.…”