According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the modes of transmission and disease progression are different for the Delta strain and Omicron. However, regardless of the classification, COVID-19 is still a severe disease.
According to preliminary WHO estimates, the Omicron variant is more contagious. It is also transmitted faster than Delta. However, this strain causes milder illness than other forms of the coronavirus. This is why the World Health Organization has previously described Omicron as less dangerous than the Delta variant.
The organization’s updated report states that antigenic change in the Omicron strain suggests that current Covid-19 vaccines appear to be less effective against this form of the virus. Identified cases of the Omicron strain show less severe disease symptoms than the Delta variant. However, WHO cautions against drawing definitive conclusions about the severity of the disease caused by Omicron.
The organization notes the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. WHO says that it is spreading faster than the Delta strain, especially in countries where direct transmission occurs. It is not clear whether this is due to a high level of immunity, active vaccination, or a combination of both.
