Omicron is milder, shows two-third less risk of hospitalisation than Delta: UK studies

Two recent British researches offered preliminary evidence that the new COVID-19 variant Omicron is milder than Delta. Hospitalisation risks for Omicron instances in England were estimated by the Imperial College London COVID-19 response team, who discovered that individuals infected with the variant are approximately 20% less likely to be admitted to a hospital at all than those affected with the delta variant and even has 40% less possibility to be hospitalised for a night or more. 

Furthermore, another research conducted by scientists at the University of Edinburgh and other specialists in Scotland found that Omicron had a two-third lower risk of hospitalisation than delta. However, the approximately 24,000 omicron instances in Scotland were mostly among young individuals aged 20 to 39, according to the research. Younger persons have a lower risk of developing severe COVID-19 infections. 

Even though the findings of both the researches have shown some positive outcomes, yet, scientists warn that any decreases in intensity are required to be considered against the fact that Omicron spreads considerably quicker than Selta and is more resistant to vaccinations. Hospitals may still be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of infections, AP reported.  

COVID-19 cases verified by PCR testing in England

All cases of COVID-19 verified by PCR testing in England in the first part of December in which the variation could be detected -- 56,000 cases of Omicron and 269,000 cases of the Delta. According to the findings, the risk of COVID hospitalisation is the same for Omicron and Delta among those who test positive and have previously received at least two vaccination doses, as per Sky News. Further, these findings have yet to be peer-reviewed. 

As per the study in Scotland, which has been conducted to follow COVID-19 and the number of persons who ended up in the hospital, if Omicron acted similarly to Delta, around 47 persons would have been admitted to the hospital by now, however, there are just 15 of them at the time, BBC reported. Meanwhile, Imperial's Professor Neil Ferguson stated, “Our analysis shows evidence of a moderate reduction in the risk of hospitalisation associated with the Omicron variant compared with the Delta variant,” as per Sky News.  

In addition to this, for the last 24 hours, the UK has recorded 13,581 new Omicron cases, bringing the total to 74,089. According to Worldometers, the UK has registered 11,647,473 cases of coronavirus since the outbreak, and147,573 deaths.

(Image: AP/ Unsplash)