Omicron variant less likely to lead to hospitalizations than Delta: U.S. study
tumsasedgars/iStock via Getty Images


According to a new U.S. study, number of hospitalizations during Omicron COVID-19 variant surge have been less compared to Delta and previous waves, source Reuters.
Despite the steep spike in COVID cases, the percentage of hospitalized patients admitted to ICU during the current Omicron wave was about 29% lower than during last winter's surge and some 26% lower than during the Delta wave, the CDC report found.

The CDC said there had been a peak of 27 hospital admissions for every 1,000 cases in January, compared with 78 admissions per 1,000 cases in the fall.
Deaths in the period from Dec. 19 to Jan. 15 averaged 9 per 1,000 COVID cases, compared to 16 per 1,000 in the previous winter peak and 13 during the Delta wave.
The lower COVID-19 disease severity during the Omicron period is likely related to higher vaccination coverage, booster use among those eligible, as well as growing levels of immunity from prior infections, the new U.S. study said.
The study involved analysis of data from a large healthcare database and three surveillance systems to assess U.S. COVID-19 characteristics from Dec. 1, 2020 to Jan. 15, 2022.
The authors said one limitation of the study was that it was unable to exclude incidental infections in which patients admitted for other reasons test positive for COVID while in the hospital.
Vaccine makers: Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX), Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN), and Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX).
Last month, U.K. study also found out people infected with Omicron COVID variant were less likely to be hospitalized than Delta.