The fundamental properties of the Omicron variant as well as high levels of immunity from vaccinations and previous infections that has occurred in people are the reasons why it is less severe than the Delta variant, according to health experts.

A study at the University of Hong Kong found Omicron was better at infecting the airways, but worse at getting into the deep tissues of the lungs, where it can do more damage.

The University of Cambridge found Omicron was not as strong as Delta when it comes to fusing lung cells together, which happens in the lungs of people who become severely ill.

An analysis of Omicron by Imperial College London suggests Omicron's mutations have made it a milder virus than Delta.

The researchers said the chances of turning up for emergency hospital care would be 11% lower with Omicron than Delta if you had no prior immunity.

However, that now applies to relatively few people in the UK due to high levels of vaccination and infection.

The same analysis said that accounting for immunity in the population meant a 25% to 30% lower risk of visiting hospitals with Omicron and about a 40% reduction in needing to stay in hospital for more than a day.

According to BBC News, the UK Health Security Agency is expected to publish early real-world data on Omicron soon, which could give further indications of the variant's severity.

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