Covid less severe with Omicron than with Delta, according to an American study
Omicron variant appears to cause less severe covid-19 than in previous periods of high coronavirus transmission, including the Delta wave, with shorter hospital stays, fewer intensive care needs and fewer deaths, according to a new US study.
However, the fast-spreading Omicron variant led to a record number of infections and hospitalizationsstraining the US healthcare system.
Despite the sharp increase in covid cases, the percentage of hospitalized patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) during the current Omicron wave was approximately 29% lower than last winter’s wave and approximately 26% lower than the delta wavethe study published Tuesday in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The lower severity of covid-19 disease during the Omicron period is likely related to higher vaccination coverage, booster use among those eligible for the additional injections, as well as previous infections offering some immune protectionaccording to the study.
Death in the period from December 19 to January 15, when Omicron infections were at a peak, averaging nine per 1,000 covid cases, up from 16 per 1,000 in the previous winter peak and 13 in the Delta wavethe study showed.
The results were consistent with previous data analyzes from South Africa, England and Scotlandwhere Omicron infections peaked earlier than in the United States, the CDC said.
(Reuters)
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