Twin peaks: The Omicron SARS-CoV-2 BA.1 and BA.2 epidemics in England

Elliott, Paul; Eales, Oliver; Steyn, Nicholas; Tang, David; Bodinier, Barbara; Wang, Haowei; Elliott, Joshua; Whitaker, Matthew; Atchison, Christina; Diggle, Peter J.; Page, Andrew J.; Trotter, Alexander J.; Ashby, Deborah; Barclay, William; Taylor, Graham P.; Ward, Helen; Darzi, Ara; Cooke, Graham; Donnelly, Christl A.; Chadeau‐Hyam, Marc

doi:10.1126/science.abq4411

Cited by 102 publications

(95 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Rounds 11, 12 and 16 are excluded from analysis because they occurred at times when two variants were competing for dominance in the population. 14…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rounds 11,12 and 16 are excluded from analysis because they occurred at times when two variants were competing for dominance in the population. 14 Adults aged 18 years and over were included in the analysis. A total of 266,847 participants were excluded because of missing symptom data, and 38 were excluded because of missing age or sex data resulting in a final study population, after exclusions, of 1,542,510 participants.…”

Section: Study Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Variant-specific symptoms of COVID-19 among 1,542,510 people in England

Whitaker

Elliott

Bodinier

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Infection with SARS-CoV-2 virus is associated with a wide range of symptoms. The REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission -1 (REACT-1) study has been monitoring the spread and clinical manifestation of SARS-CoV-2 among random samples of the population in England from 1 May 2020 to 31 March 2022. We show changing symptom profiles associated with the different variants over that period, with lower reporting of loss of sense of smell and taste for Omicron compared to previous variants, and higher reporting of cold-like and influenza-like symptoms, controlling for vaccination status. Contrary to the perception that recent variants have become successively milder, Omicron BA.2 was associated with reporting more symptoms, with greater disruption to daily activities, than BA.1. With restrictions lifted and routine testing limited in many countries, monitoring the changing symptom profiles associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and induced changes in daily activities will become increasingly important.

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“…Rounds 11, 12 and 16 are excluded from analysis because they occurred at times when two variants were competing for dominance in the population. 14…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variant-specific symptoms of COVID-19 among 1,542,510 people in England

Whitaker

Elliott

Bodinier

et al. 2022

Preprint

Self Cite

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“…Omicron infection rates have been high in all age groups and have been particularly notable in children [4]. Indeed, in one study SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in this age group rose from 40% to 82% following emergence of the Omicron variant [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Immunological imprinting of humoral immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in children

Dowell

Lancaster

Bruton

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is now globally dominant but despite high prevalence little is known regarding the immune response in children. We determined the antibody and cellular immune response following Omicron infection in children aged 6-14 years and related this to prior SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination status. Primary Omicron infection elicited a weak antibody response and only 53% of children developed detectable neutralising antibodies. In contrast, children with secondary Omicron infection following prior infection with a pre-Omicron variant developed 24-fold higher antibody titres and neutralisation of Omicron. Vaccination elicited the highest levels of antibody response and was also strongly immunogenic following prior natural infection with Omicron. Cellular responses against Omicron were robust and broadly equivalent in all study groups. These data reveal that primary Omicron infection elicits a weak humoral immune response in children and may presage a clinical profile of recurrent infection as seen with antecedent seasonal coronaviruses. Vaccination may represent the most effective approach to control infection whilst cellular immunity should offer strong clinical protection.

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“…However, active circulation of SARS-CoV-2 variants still leads to substantial numbers of reinfections 32 , impacting human health. Booster vaccinations with current vaccines have helped to alleviate COVID-19 disease but will not provide long term immunity to keep the prevalence of emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 at low levels 33 . The next generation of COVID-19 vaccines should focus on preventing infection and/or reducing transmission.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An intranasal influenza virus-vectored vaccine blocks SARS-CoV-2 replication in respiratory tissues of mice and hamsters

Deng

Liu

Tam

et al. 2022

Preprint

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We have developed an intranasal vaccine candidate based on a live attenuated influenza virus (LAIV) with a deleted NS1 gene that encodes cell surface expression of the receptor-binding-domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, designated DelNS1-RBD4N-DAF. Immune responses and protection against virus challenge following intranasal administration of DelNS1-RBD4N-DAF vaccines were analyzed in mice and compared with intramuscular injection of the BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine in hamsters. DelNS1-RBD4N-DAF LAIVs induced high levels of neutralizing antibodies against various SARS-CoV-2 variants in mice and hamsters and stimulated robust T cell responses in mice. Notably, vaccination with DelNS1-RBD4N-DAF LAIVs, but not BNT162b2 mRNA, blocked replication of SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Delta and Omicron BA.2, in the respiratory tissues of animals. The DelNS1-RBD4N-DAF LAIV system warrants further evaluation in humans for the control of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and, more significantly, for creating dual function vaccines against both influenza and COVID-19 for use in annual vaccination strategies.

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Twin peaks: The Omicron SARS-CoV-2 BA.1 and BA.2 epidemics in England

Cited by 102 publications

References 24 publications

Variant-specific symptoms of COVID-19 among 1,542,510 people in England

Variant-specific symptoms of COVID-19 among 1,542,510 people in England

Immunological imprinting of humoral immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in children

An intranasal influenza virus-vectored vaccine blocks SARS-CoV-2 replication in respiratory tissues of mice and hamsters

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