FACT BRIEF

Are the symptoms of the omicron variant as severe as those of the delta variant?

Thursday, January 6, 2022

By Lisa Freedland

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Preliminary data suggest that while the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is highly contagious, it typically causes a mild sickness "that can resemble the common cold," resulting in fewer hospitalizations and deaths than previous strains.

A U.K. study published last week found that the risk of hospitalization from omicron "was approximately one-third of that from delta." The study also found that those with three vaccine doses were 81% less likely to be hospitalized from omicron than those without a dose.

A South African study also published last week similarly found that fewer individuals infected with omicron were hospitalized, and that among those who were, their symptoms were less severe, fewer required oxygen, and their stay was shorter than in prior waves.

A separate South African study found that the death rate dropped from 29.1% with Delta to 2.7% with omicron.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

CNET 'All indications' suggest omicron's milder than delta, Fauci says, but don't get complacent

UK Government SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and variants under investigation in England

SSRN Clinical Severity of COVID-19 Patients Admitted to Hospitals in Gauteng, South Africa During the Omicron-Dominant Fourth Wave

JAMA Network Characteristics and Outcomes of Hospitalized Patients in South Africa During the COVID-19 Omicron Wave Compared With Previous Waves

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