Clinical Characteristics of 40 Patients Infected With the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant in Korea

• DOI: 10.3346/jkms.2022.37.e31
• Publication Date: 2022-01-11T05:55:12Z
• Authors: Min-Kyung Kim; Bora Lee; Youn Young Choi; Jihye Um; Kyung-Shin Lee; Ho Kyung Sung; Yeonjae Kim; Jun-Sun Park; Myungsun Lee; Hee-Chang Jang; Ji Hwan Bang; Ki-hyun Chung; Jaehyun Jeon
• Keywords: Adult; Male; Travel; Adolescent; Diagnostic Tests, Routine; SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; Middle Aged; Brief Communication; Severity of Illness Index; 3. Good health; Young Adult; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Republic of Korea; Humans; Female; Travel-Related Illness; Aged

Since severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 variant B.1.1.529 (omicron) was first reported to the World Health Organization on November 24, 2021, the cases of the omicron variant have been detected in more than 90 countries over the last month. We investigated the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the first 40 patients with the omicron variant who had been isolated at the National Medical Center in South Korea during December 4-17, 2021. The median age of the patients was 39.5 years. Twenty-two patients (55%) were women. Seventeen patients (42.5%) were fully vaccinated, and none were reinfected with the omicron. Eighteen (45%) had recent international travel history. Half of the patients (19, 47.5%) were asymptomatic, while the others had mild symptoms. Six patients (15%) showed lung infiltrations on chest image; however, none required supplemental oxygen. These mild clinical features are consistent with recent case reports on the omicron variant from other countries.