Comparing Prospective Incident Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection Rates During Successive Waves of Delta and Omicron in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Simiso M SokhelaBronwyn BoschAndrew HillBryony SimmonsJoana WoodsHilary JohnstoneShabir MadhiAmbar QaviLeah EllisGodspower AkpomiemieEsther BhaskarJacob LeviJonathan FalconerManya MirchandaniCarmen Perez CasasKarlien MollerVictoria PilkingtonToby PepperrellWillem Daniel Francois VenterPublished in: Open forum infectious diseases (2022)
In high-risk individuals in Johannesburg, during the Delta coronavirus disease 2019 wave, 22% (125/561) were positive, with 33% symptomatic (2 hospitalizations; 1 death). During Omicron, 56% (232/411) were infected, with 24% symptomatic (no hospitalizations or deaths). The remarkable speed of infection of Omicron over Delta poses challenges to conventional severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 control measures.