Omicron less severe than Delta: UK studies

London, December 23

Two studies based on real-world Covid UK data on Thursday reported that the Omicron variant is less severe than the Delta variant, with fewer infected people requiring hospitalisation.

Research by Imperial College London found that people with PCR-confirmed Omicron are 40 to 45 per cent less likely to spend a night or more in hospital compared with the Delta variant.

Those with Omicron after a previous infection are 50 to 60 per cent less likely to be hospitalised, compared with those with no previous infection. However, the risk of hospitalisation is higher for those who are unvaccinated, according to the study.

“Our analysis shows evidence of a moderate reduction in the risk of hospitalisation associated with the Omicron variant compared with the Delta variant,” said Imperial’s Professor Neil Ferguson, who is the scientist associated with the UK’s first complete stay-at-home lockdown during the first Covid wave in March 2020.

“However, this appears to be offset by the reduced efficacy of vaccines against infection with the Omicron variant,” he cautioned.

The “high transmissibility” of Omicron could lead to health services facing “increasing demand” if cases grow at the rate seen recently, the scientist said after the UK recorded over 1,00,000 daily Covid infections on Wednesday. — PTI

High fatalities in S Korea

109 persons die in last 24 hours

Omicron: New South Wales reintroduces mask mandate

Curbs in Chinese city

Beijing: China plunged the city of Xi’an, which has a population of 13 million, into lockdown on Thursday to stamp out an increase in Covid infections, just weeks before it is set to host Winter Olympics. AP

❤️ Support Independent Journalism

Your contribution keeps our reporting free, fearless, and accessible to everyone.

Secure via Razorpay • 12 monthly payments • Cancel anytime before next cycle