Infodemiological Surveillance of Symptomatology Associated with the Diffusion of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Sublineage BA.5 in the United States

Continued evolution of SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) Omicron variant has led to genetic differentiation and mutational diversity resulting to the emergence of Omicron sublineage BA.5, the most rapidly spreading subvariant in the United States. Hence, we investigated infodemiological trends in symptomatology associated with the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) following the spread of Omicron sublineage BA.5 in the United States. Weekly Google Trends scores were obtained for key symptom keywords between February 2nd, 2022 and July 31st, 2022, whilst case count data were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Data Tracker. Multiple time series linear regression was used to assess trends in each score series, using the week of April 24th as cutoff for emergence of Omicron sublineage BA.5. Infodemiological surveillance captured the clinical picture of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sublineage BA.5 highlighting that while fatigue, headache, and muscle pain may be seen in all Omicron variants, the pathognomonic symptoms of COVID-19, most especially taste loss, are more likely associated with BA.5. Similarly, a rise in search trends for shortness of breath was associated with the emergence of this subvariant. Thus, the study suggests the use of these symptoms as keywords for tracking Omicron sublineage BA.5.