Studies at Omicron epicentre UK show most infections mild

NEW DELHI: People infected with the Omicron variant in England are on average 40-45% less likely to require hospital admission, with a prior infection being one of the biggest factors in reduced severity, a new analysis based on tens of thousands of cases in the country has found. The study, released by the Imperial College of London’s MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis on Wednesday, echoes findings from Scotland where case trends suggested a 68% less likelihood of people with Omicron infection needing hospital admission.

The reports add to a growing body of evidence that the new Sars-CoV-2 variant of concern may be less severe in people with a past infection and those who have got vaccines, when compared to the Delta variant. The Imperial experts, however, cautioned that the reductions must be balanced against the larger risk of infection.

“This (reduction in severity) appears to be offset by the reduced efficacy of vaccines against infection with the Omicron variant. Given the high transmissibility of Omicron, there remains the potential for health services to face increasing demand,” said Imperial College professor Neil Ferguson.

The analysis was based on RT-PCR confirmed cases in England in the December 1-14 period and included 56,000 Omicron cases and 269,000 Delta variant cases that took place at the time.

It found that compared to Delta variant infections, people who caught Omicron on average had a 40-45% reduced of needing hospitalisation lasting at least a full day.