Three new studies confirm Omicron is milder than Delta

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The wave of Omicron appears to be milder with fewer people requiring hospitalisation than the Delta variant according to new studies published in the UK and South Africa.</p>
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Estimates in the three studies suggest that there is a 30% to 80% reduction in the number of people infected with the Omicron variant that need to be admitted to hospitals for  treatment as compared to the earlier Delta wave.</p>
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The preliminary studies are from Scotland and England and the third is a bigger study from South Africa.</p>
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However, there is still need to worry about the fast rate at which the Omicron is spreading and the sheer numbers could overwhelm healthcare systems.</p>
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The study in Scotland has been tracking coronavirus and the number of people ending up in hospital during November and December.</p>
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It said that if Omicron behaved the same as Delta, they would expect about 47 people to have been admitted to hospital already. At the moment there are only 15.</p>
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The researchers said they were seeing a roughly two-thirds reduction in the number needing hospital care, but there were very few cases and few at-risk elderly people in the study.</p>
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The study was small, but the authors said they had adjusted for these limitations using statistical methods.</p>
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“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 hospitalisations,” Jim McMenamin, a co-author of the Scottish research, told journalists.</p>
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The second study from England, found there was a 20-25 percent reduction in any attendance at hospital for Omicron compared to Delta, and a 40-45 percent reduction in hospital admissions.</p>
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Another study in South Africa also points to the Omicron wave being milder.</p>
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It showed people were 70-80% less likely to need hospital treatment, depending on whether Omicron is compared to previous waves, or other variants currently circulating.</p>
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However, it suggested there was no difference in outcomes for the few patients that ended up in hospital with Omicron.</p>
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“Compellingly, together our data really suggest a positive story of a reduced severity of Omicron compared to other variants,” said Prof Cheryl Cohen of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, in South Africa.</p>
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The reduction in severity is thought to be a combination of the fundamental properties of the Omicron variant as well as high levels of immunity from vaccinations and previous infections.</p>
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However, experts also point out that the Omicron variant is spreading very quickly and a high number of cases could wipe out any benefit of it being milder.</p>
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The UK recorded more than 100,000 cases in a single day as infections surge which has the potential of overwhelming the healthcare system. </p>
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