OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study is to evaluate and compare clinical and virological characteristics of asymptomatic and mild symptomatic patients of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron BA.2.2 variant infection and identify risk factors associated with the prolonged viral negative conversion duration.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective observational study in a Shanghai (China) Fangcang shelter hospital from April 9 to May 17, 2022. The patient-related demographic or clinical data were retrospectively recorded. Comparisons of demographic and clinical characteristics between asymptomatic and mild-symptomatic patients were performed. Cox regression was performed to identify the risk factors of prolonged viral negative conversion duration.

RESULTS

A total of 551 patients confirmed with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection were enrolled in the study. Of these, 297 patients (53.9%) were asymptomatic and 254 patients (46.1%) had mild symptoms. When comparing the clinical and virological characteristics between the asymptomatic and mild symptomatic groups, several clinical parameters, including age, gender, time to viral clearance from the first positive swab, chronic comorbidities, and vaccination dose did not show statistically significant differences. In mild symptomatic patients, the median viral negative conversion duration (NCD) was 7 days (interquartile range [IQR]: 5-9), which was comparable to the median of 7 days (IQR: 5-10) in asymptomatic patients (p = .943). Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that patients age ≥ 60 years had a significantly higher hazard ratio (HR) for prolonged viral NCD (HR: 1.313; 95% confidence interval: 1.014-1.701, p = .039).

CONCLUSION

Asymptomatic and symptomatic patients with non-severe SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2.2 variant infection have similar clinical features and virological courses. Old age was an independent risk factor for prolonged SARS-CoV-2 conversion time.