According to the UK Health Security Agency, people with omicron are up to 70% less likely to require admission to hospital than those with the delta variant.
Current statistics show that of 132 people admitted to hospital with omicron, 17 people had received their boosters, 74 people were double vaccinated and 27 were unvaccinated. Meanwhile, 8 people had received a single shot, and the vaccination status was unknown for 6 people. The study said that 14 people had died within 28 days of a diagnosis of omicron, ranging from 52 to 96 years old.
The authors of the study believe that patients with omicron are 31-45% less likely to attend emergency departments compared to those with delta, and 50-70% less likely to require admission to hospital. According to the researchers, this is due to a strong immune response to a previous infection or to the vaccine.
The results of the study suggest that human and economic losses from the new COVID-19 mutation may be minimized. Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, says this offers hope that people who contract the omicron variant may experience a relatively mild course of illness and be at a lower risk of hospitalization. According to the current report, in Scotland, the omicron strain is also less likely to result in hospitalization.
The preliminary data tallies with similar conclusions from scientists in South Africa and research teams at Imperial College London and the University of Edinburgh. Scientific findings from virologists in South Africa, provided by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, highlighted that those infected with the omicron strain were 80% less likely to be sent to hospital compared to other variants.
