ABSTRACT
SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant was first detected in France mid-November 2021 in wastewater treatment plants while cases started to increase at the beginning of December. The maximum incidence occurred in mid-January 2022. The Omicron wave spread rapidly throughout France in general population with lower case-fatality rate compared with previous waves. Little is known about infection with Omicron variant in heart transplant (HT) recipients. In this study, we examined incidence and mortality rate of COVID-19 in the general population and among 1,263 HT recipients during the period from June, 2021 to February, 2022, described characteristics of HT recipients infected with SARS-CoV-2 during Omicron (December 1st, 2021-February 7, 2022) and Delta (June 1st- November 30, 2021) periods, and compared hospital course of HT recipients with Omicron and Delta variant infection. Our findings contrast with the reported lower severity for Omicron variant infection compared with Delta variant infection in immunocompetent individuals.