As a surge in COVID-19 cases related to the omicron variant of the virus has resulted in canceled events and new restrictions, a study indicates those infected with the variant are less likely to be hospitalized.
“We aimed to assess clinical severity of individuals infected with Omicron,” using S Gene Target Failure (SGTF), a marker of the variant, said authors of the study released by the National Institute of Communicable Diseases. It focuses on omicron cases in South Africa, where the variant was first identified.
As of Wednesday, the study has not been peer reviewed.
Researchers found that, compared to earlier delta infections, omicron cases – those with SGTF markers – had lower odds of severe disease and a reduced risk of hospitalization.
Bloomberg reported that South Africans with the omicron variant were 80 percent less likely to be hospitalized compared with other strains and had a 70 percent lower risk of disease compared to delta infections.
“Some of this reduction is likely a result of high population immunity,” the study said.
Even if omicron infections are typically milder than those resulting from other COVID-19 variants, the variant has been linked to at least one death in the U.S., an unvaccinated Texas man who died Monday. At least seven other deaths have been linked to the variant in the U.K.
According to the World Health Organization, “it is not yet clear whether infection with Omicron causes more severe disease compared to infections with other variants.” As researchers conduct further study about the severity of omicron, the WHO said that currently available COVID-19 vaccines should help prevent against severe illness and death.
In the U.S., omicron recently became the most common COVID-19 variant, with 73 percent of cases linked to it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Related
Related
