Two studies from Britain published Wednesday showed Covid infections with Omicron are less likely to result in hospitalization compared to the Delta variant.
The preliminary studies -one from Scotland and the other from England stated that the “good news” is that Omicron infectiousness shows a “reduced risk of hospitalisation”.
“We’re saying that this is qualified good news — qualified because these are early observations, they are statistically significant, and we are showing a reduced risk of hospitalizations,” Jim McMenamin, a co-author of the Scottish research, told reporters.
The Scotland study included data on 23,840 Omicron cases and 1,26,511 Delta cases, from November 1 to December 19. Fifteen people were hospitalized for Omicron infection and 856 hospital admissions were recorded among Delta infections.
Additionally, James Naismith, Director of the Rosalind Franklin Institute and professor of structural biology at the University of Oxford also reiterated that the two-thirds reduction in hospitalization of double vaccinated young people compared to Delta indicates that Omicron will be milder for more people,”
The second paper, from England, found there was a 20-25 percent reduction in any attendance at the hospital for Omicron compared to Delta, and a 40-45 percent reduction in hospitalizations lasting one night or longer, in other words, “admissions.”
However, while the hospitalization rate would be less, the rate of infectiousness would be higher. Azra Ghani of the Imperial College London, who co-authored the England study, said in a statement: “Whilst the reduced risk of hospitalization with the Omicron variant is reassuring, the risk of infection remains extremely high.
