LONDON – The risk of hospitalisation is up to 70% lower among people infected with the Omicron variant compared to previously dominant Delta, a UK government agency said yesterday.
The UK’s Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said in a briefing its latest research into Omicron cases in the country had found that “an individual with Omicron is estimated to be between 31% and 45% less likely to attend A&E (hospital emergency departments) compared to Delta, and 50% to 70% less likely to be admitted to hospital”.
It cautioned that the results were “preliminary and highly uncertain” since they are based on a small sample of cases of hospitalisations so far where Omicron has been confirmed.
There have been 132 such hospitalisations, more than 40% of them in London, it said.
Of those requiring hospitalisation, 17 had received a booster vaccine, while 74 people had received two doses and 27 people were not vaccinated.
Two studies from Britain previously showed Covid-19 infections with Omicron are less likely to result in hospitalisation compared to the Delta variant. – AFP, December 24, 2021
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