UK data help Viewomicron reduce hospitalizations, but also show that boosters are declining

Based on the UK case, people with Omicron are 31% to 45% less likely to go to the emergency department of a hospital and “from 50 more likely to be hospitalized” than those with Delta. It is estimated to be 70% lower. ” The agency said.

The analysis warned that it was “preliminary and highly uncertain” due to the fact that the number of Omicron patients in hospitals is small and most are in the younger age group. As of 20 December, 132 people were admitted to a British hospital where Omicron was confirmed. Fourteen of them died, all between the ages of 52 and 96.

Countries around the world are carefully watching the UK, where Omicron is now predominant and COVID-19 cases are skyrocketing by more than 50% in a week.
Experts not involved in the analysis called it encouraging.

“For me, it’s a small sunbeam in all the dark clouds,” said Dr. Jonathan Lee, director of the Harvard / Brigham Virology Institute.

The signs that Omicron can cause less severe illness than Delta are consistent with laboratory data suggesting that Omicron does not grow in lung-derived cells as well, Lee said. rice field.

The findings were added to similar data from South Africa, added by Dr. Bruce Walker, director of the Ragon Institute at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.

Walker said Omicron’s relatives of vaccinated people compared to those who had previously been infected with COVID-19 or who had not been vaccinated and had no illness. He said there were still unclear points such as severity.
Vaccination is still important, he said.

“The bottom line is that the best way someone can prepare for this new wave is to immunize. If someone is already immunized, get a booster,” said Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Walker, a researcher at, said. Supports the Associated Press Health Sciences Department.

According to a study by a British agency, the defense against symptomatic Omicron infections from vaccine booster shots seems to diminish after about 10 weeks, but the defense against hospitalization and serious illness may last longer.

The analysis shows a promising early signal that people infected with the Omicron variant may have a relatively lower risk of hospitalization than those infected with other mutants, “the UK HSA said. Jenny Harries, Chief Executive Officer, said.

But she added, “In the UK, the number of cases is very high now, and even if the proportion requiring hospitalization is relatively low, a significant number of people can become seriously ill.”

The analysis is based on two studies by researchers at Imperial College London and Scotland, and found that patients with Omicron were 20% to 68% less likely to require hospital treatment than patients with Delta. rice field.

Even if early studies support it, the number of infections is so high that new variants can still overwhelm the medical system. According to the UK Health Agency, Omicron can re-infect people more easily than previous variants, and 9.5% of Omicron cases already found in people already infected with COVID-19 are underestimated. There is a high possibility that it is.

The UK reported about 120,000 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in the lab on Thursday. This was the highest ever during a pandemic, surpassing 100,000 on the second day.

The Office for National Statistics estimates that one in forty-five people (1.2 million) in a private UK household was infected with the highest levels of COVID-19 seen in a pandemic during the week leading up to December 16.

This month, the British conservative government reinstated the rules requiring face masks in stores and gave evidence of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test before entering nightclubs and other crowded areas to slow the spread of Omicron. I commanded people to show.

The government said Thursday that it would not impose new restrictions before Christmas, but could impose them shortly after Christmas.

Officials also took regular tests and urged people to reduce socializing. Many people in the UK are listening to that advice, and the entertainment and hospitality industry should be the busiest time of the year.

Experts pointed out that leaving the hospital shouldn’t be the only goal. People should also try to avoid long COVID-19, which can result from mild infections.

“We are all excited to hear that this is not so serious about the illness right away,” Walker said. “But do we know what the potential for long COVIDs is? No, not enough time has passed to find out if Omicron is associated with long COVIDs. “

Luis Mansky, director of the Institute for Molecular Virology at the University of Minnesota, said there wasn’t enough data to know how Omicron works in the United States.

“It returns to the health of the average American,” Mansky said. “There are other epidemics of obesity and cardiovascular disease,” he said, explaining that “general health of the individual” will be an important factor in how sick from Omicron.