The Omicron variant of coronavirus appears to be milder, with a 20%-25% reduced chance of a hospital visit and at least a 40% lower risk of being admitted overnight, the first UK data of its kind has showed. In what was described by scientists as a “qualified good news story”, two studies on Wednesday pointed to a lower risk of hospitalisation with Omicron. The dataset included 56,000 cases of Omicron and 269,000 cases of Delta. A separate, preliminary analysis of Omicron cases in Scotland pointed to an even greater reduction in the risk of hospitalisation compared with Delta. Scientists on the Eave II study, using hospital data from 23 November to 19 December, concluded that the risk of hospitalisation may be 70% lower with Omicron than Delta.

Source: The Guardian December 23, 2021 04:01 UTC