Omicron milder thanks to vaccines - S. AfricaThere have been early anecdotal accounts suggesting that Omicron is causing less severe illness than previous variants in South Africa - something the government attributes to vaccines and a high level of prior infection. - REUTERSVaccines and high levels of prior infection are helping keep the latest wave of COVID-19, driven by the Omicron variant, milder than before. Preliminary data suggests Omicron may be more contagious than the Delta variant but less likely to cause severe illness, though much remains unknown. In South Africa, as well as the United Kingdom and Denmark, the number of new Omicron infections has been doubling every two days. However a third booster shot is thought to restore much of the vaccine's efficacy.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 19, 2021 01:09 UTC