The Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus is probably still less sickening than the Delta variant. This is evident from new data and research in Scotland and South Africa.
The conclusion that can be drawn from these data is that people who are infected with the Omicron variant end up in hospital less often. However, this does concern people who have been vaccinated or previously infected with Covid-19.
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The Scottish study used health data from 5.4 million people. This shows that the risk of hospitalization of persons infected with the Omicron variant is two thirds lower than the hospital admission risk of persons infected with the Delta variant.
80% lower hospitalization risk
Epidemologist Professor Chris Robertson of the University of Strathclyde involved in the Scottish study late to the Wall Street Journal know:
“Assuming Omicron is exactly the same as Delta, we have fewer hospital admissions than expected.”
from a recently published online research (pre-print) in South Africa it appears that the same conclusion can be drawn: the hospital admission risk is between 70% and 80% lower with the Omicron variant than with the Delta variant.
The researchers also say that South African Covid-19 patients infected with the Omicron variant who did have to be hospitalized also had a lower risk of ending up in the ICU or needing extra oxygen.
Vaccinated persons under the age of 60
Despite the fact that both (not peer-reviewde) studies are about preliminary results, with possibly too little data for full conclusions, seems the general impression that the Omicron variant is less pathogenic to be increasingly confirmed.
It is important to note, however, that both studies mainly concern infected persons between the ages of 20 and 59 who have sufficient antibodies through vaccinations or previous infection.
And even if the Omicron is indeed less pathogenic, the much higher infectiousness ensures that hospitals can still fill up quickly. The elderly, people with other conditions and unvaccinated people in particular can become seriously ill from the Omicron-covid-19 variant.
Third booster dose
It also still seems that a double dose of the mRNA vaccine is not sufficient to continue to prevent serious illness from infection with the Omicron variant. A third booster dose however, seems to offer enough protection against serious symptoms.
Earlier Wednesday published the website Politico data from the British health service showing that people infected with the Omicron variant have a lower chance of becoming seriously ill. But those who do get sick can still end up in ICU or die from the effects of Covid-19.
From a Tuesday published online (not peer-reviewed, pre-print) British research shows that the Omicron variant may be less efficient than the Delta variant in penetrating the lung cells. This could possibly mean that the Omicron variant is less pathogenic
No loss of sense of smell
From data collected in Spain, it seems possible to conclude that the disease symptoms of the Omicron variant are very similar to those of a cold: cough, a runny nose and fatigue.
It is also striking that only 12% of the investigated persons infected with the Omicron variant indicated that they suffered from loss of the sense of smell. During the first corona wave, 70% of the infected people said they suffered from a loss of the sense of smell.
To the Spanish newspaper The country says Benito Almirante, head of the infectious diseases department at the Vall d’Hebron hospital in Barcelona:
“It is almost certain that the risk of serious illness after infection with the Omicron variant is smaller than the previous variants. Although we do not have all the data yet, we have already confirmed more than 100 cases of infection with the Omicron variant without even one of those infected persons had to be hospitalized.”
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Also read:
Omicron variant seems to make much less sick for the time being
Pfizer: ‘Pfizer’s third booster shot works against Omicron variant’
‘Blood bank Sanquin confirms: omikron patients less often on IC’
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