Early Research Says Omicron COVID Variant Less Severe Than Other Transformations

Research found there’re early signs that Omicron might cause less severe illness than other transformations of the novel coronavirus.

On Monday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the coronavirus is spreading swiftly than ever in South Africa, an implication of how the new variant of COVID-19 – Omicron – is driving the deadly pandemic, but there’re early signs that Omicron might cause less severe illness than other transformations of the novel coronavirus.

The New York Times proclaimed that doctors at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital (SBAH)/ Tshwane District Hospital Complex in Pretoria, South Africa observed forty-two patients who had been admitted recent week with coronavirus disease. They found that twenty-nine patients were breathing normal air, while 4 of the other thirteen patients, who were provided with oxygen therapy, were doing so for reasons unconnected to the coronavirus.

South Africa’s Confirmed Daily Coronavirus Cases by Variants (Based on Sequences Submitted to GISAID)
Sources: South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD); GISAID

Researchers at the hospital complex found that their COVID patients are much less sick as compared to people they’ve cured prior, and that other hospitals are observing the same trends. In fact, they stated that most of their infected people were admitted for other whys and wherefores and had no COVID-19 symptoms.

However, researchers warned against placing excessive stock in either the potential good news of less seriousness or bad update like early proof that previous COVID-19 infection offers little immunity to the new variant. Omicron was just detected in recent month, and more research is required before experts could say ample regarding it with confidence. Beyond that, the real influence of SARS-CoV-2 isn’t always felt immediately. With hospital admissions and fatalities frequently considerably less than previous outbreaks.

Omicron Detected in Almost 38 Countries

The director of the Office of HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis Research at the South African Medical Research Council, Dr. Fareed Abdullah, told the New York Times that the 166 COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized between 14 and 29 November had an average stay at the hospital of 2.8 days, with less than 7% losing their lives.

In comparison, coronavirus patients at the hospital over the past 1.5 years stayed an average of 8.5 days, with 17% losing their lives. Moreover, the report says around 133 out of those 166 were under fifty years of age, a change from previous waves of elder coronavirus patients. Therefore, it reads that recommends a high inoculation rate in South African people over 50-years of age.

Furthermore, Dr. Abdullah warned that the research hasn’t been peer-reviewed, and it’s not recognized how many patients were diagnosed with the Omicron COVID-19 variant. National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) says new COVID-19 infections have reached over 16000, up dramatically from 2300 infections recorded on Dec. 6. The NICD articulates the rapid rise in cases is unprecedented in the trajectory of the deadly pandemic, now in its 4th phase in South Africa.

Early Research Says Omicron COVID Variant Less Severe Than Other Transformations
Source: Web

After being discovered by scientists in South Africa on 24th November, until now Omicron variant has been identified in almost 38 countries. In America, the new variant has been found in twenty states.

Worldwide, as of Dec. 7, 2021, there have been 265713467 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 5260888 fatalities, according to data reported to the WHO. As of Dec. 6, 2021, a total of 7952750402 COVID-19 vaccine shots have been administered.