Compared with the delta variant, omicron causes less severe disease for patients, according to data shared this month by Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at a COVID-19 response briefing.
Walensky cited a preprint study published recently that looked at data from about 52,000 people infected with the omicron variant, and about 17,000 infected with delta, in southern California. Compared with patients who had the delta variant, omicron patients had a 53% reduced risk of hospitalization, a 74% reduced risk of ICU admission and a 91% reduced risk of death. The study has not yet been peer-reviewed.
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Also, Walensky said, none of the people infected with omicron in the study required mechanical ventilation. This backs up another study from researchers in Hong Kong who found that while extremely contagious, omicron isn’t as good at replicating in the lungs as delta, likely leading to less severe disease.
The new research also adds to what researchers from many other countries including South Africa have found: Though more contagious than any other variant, omicron doesn’t seem to be making people quite as sick as the…