First cases of Omicron in France are exhibiting mild symptoms, November 2021–January 2022

• DOI: 10.1016/j.idnow.2022.02.003
• Publication Date: 2022-02-12T16:29:36Z
• Authors: A. Maisa; G. Spaccaferri; L. Fournier; J. Schaeffer; J. Deniau; P. Rolland; B. Coignard; A. Andrieu; O. Broustal; S. Chene; S. Chent; E. Fougère; G. Gbaguidi; M. Hamidouche; A. Lamy; Q. Mano; B. Mastrovito; A. Mercier; G. Modenesi; G. Picard; J. Prudhomme; F. Rapilly; A. Riondel; M. Rivière; B. Villegas Ramirez; A. Zhu-Soubise; M. Zurbaran; A. Amzert; L. Andreoletti; A. Bal; R. Beaurepere; S. Behillil; L. Belec; C. Bernard; L. Bocket; L. Bouri; T. Bourlet; C. Bressollette-B...; S. Brichler; C. Brugerolles; S. Cado; V. Calvez; N. Capron; S. Castelain; J. Castro-Alvarez; M.-L. Chaix; C. Charpentier; D. Che; C. Chillou; P. Colson; P. Coudene; A. Crinquette; A. De Rougemont; H. Delagrèverie; C. Delamare; T. Denecker-Berar...; D. Descamps; M. Desroches; G. Destras; G. Dos Santos; A. Ducancelle; S. Ducreux; T. Duret; V. Enouf; S. Fafi-Kremer; C. Felici; S. Fourati; P.-E. Fournier; C. Gaudy; H. Germain; V. Giordanengo; O. Gorge; S. Haim-Boukobza; C. Henquell; A. Holstein; L. Houhamdi; J. Izopet; V. Jacomo; A. Jacques; M.-C. Jaffar-Bandjee; M. Jimenez; L. Josset; S. Kemeny; M.-E. Lafon; A. Le Bars; G. Le Corguille; Q. Lepiller; A. Levasseur; N. Leveque; B. Lina; C. Madelaine; C. Malabat; S. Marque-Juillet; T. Martin-Dunavit; P. Mavingui; A. Merens; I. Messak; L. Morand-Joubert; X. Naudot; P. Neybecker; J.-M. Pawlotsky; L. Pilorge; J.-C. Plantier; C. Poggi; M. Pretet; C. Ragot; H. Raoul; S. Rogez; A.-M. Roque-Afonso; B. Roquebert; D. Rousset; F. Rozenberg; C. Sagot; S. Sahnoune; D. Salgado; O. Sand; C. Saudemont; E. Schvoerer; E. Simon-Loriere; R. Stephan; J. Sudour; V. Thibault; E. Tuaillon; A. Vabret; E. Vallee; S. Van Der Werf; J. Van Helden; L. Verdurme; A. Vignola; D. Wilkinson; Y. Yazdanpanah
• Keywords: Adult; 0301 basic medicine; Epidemiology; Short Communication; 610; MESH: Hospitalization; 03 medical and health sciences; [SDV.MHEP.CSC]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Human health and pathology/Cardiology and cardiovascular system; [SDV.MHEP.MI]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Human health and pathology/Infectious diseases; 616; MESH: COVID-19; Humans; MESH: SARS-CoV-2; [SDV.MP.PAR]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Microbiology and Parasitology/Parasitology; Signs and symptoms; [SDV.MHEP.ME] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Human health and pathology/Emerging diseases; [SDV.MP.VIR] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Microbiology and Parasitology/Virology; [SDV.MHEP.ME]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Human health and pathology/Emerging diseases; MESH: Humans; SARS-CoV-2; Vaccination; COVID-19; MESH: Adult; MESH: Vaccination; [SDV.MP.BAC]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Microbiology and Parasitology/Bacteriology; [SDV.MHEP.CSC] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Human health and pathology/Cardiology and cardiovascular system; 3. Good health; MESH: France; Hospitalization; [SDV.MP.VIR]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Microbiology and Parasitology/Virology; [SDV.MHEP.MI] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Human health and pathology/Infectious diseases; France; [SDV.MP.BAC] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Microbiology and Parasitology/Bacteriology; Surveys and questionnaires; [SDV.MP.PAR] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Microbiology and Parasitology/Parasitology

We aimed to investigate the first Omicron cases detected in France in order to assess case characteristics and provide supporting information on the possible impact of this variant on the healthcare system.A standardized questionnaire was used to collect information from confirmed and probable Omicron cases.Median age of 468 investigated cases was 35 years, 376 were symptomatic (89%); 64% were vaccinated with two doses and 7% had received three doses. Loss of smell and taste were reported by 8.3% and 9% of cases, respectively. Seven cases were hospitalized, three of those were unvaccinated (including two with reported precondition). No admissions to intensive care and no deaths were reported.Our results confirm a mild clinical presentation among the first Omicron cases detected in France and highlight the importance for the national COVID-19 surveillance system to quickly detect and adapt to the emergence of a new variant.