According to a study, people infected with Omicron are 50% to 70% less likely to require hospital treatment than those infected with previous Covid-19 variants. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) claimed its first findings are "encouraging," but the variant might still result in a large number of people being sent to hospitals.
The new research by the Agency is based on all cases of Omicron and Delta in the UK since November 1, including 132 people admitted to hospitals with the variation. There have also been 14 deaths in patients who were infected with the new variant and died within 28 days.
Jenny Harries, the UKHSA's Chief Executive, was reported as saying, "Our current analysis reveals an intriguing early signal that patients who contract the Omicron variation may be at a relatively reduced risk of hospitalisation than those who contract other variants."
Sajid Javid, the UK Health Secretary, said it was "too early" to decide on "next steps." The ability of the vaccine to prevent patients from contracting Omicron begins to decline 10 weeks following a booster dose, according to the study. According to the report, protection against serious disease is likely to be far more robust.
The report follows data from South Africa, Denmark, England, and Scotland, all of which indicated a decrease in severity.
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