(London) Patients infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus have a significantly lower risk, up to 70%, of being hospitalized compared to the Delta variant, according to an analysis by the British health security agency released on Thursday.
According to the British agency (UKHSA), which is very cautious, especially because of the low number of patients hospitalized with Omicron, people infected with Omicron are between 50 and 70% less likely to be hospitalized.
This analysis, which is in line with two British studies published on Wednesday, is however “highly uncertain because of the low number of patients affected by Omicron currently in hospital, the impossibility of effectively measuring all previous infections and the limited spread. of Omicron among the oldest groups ”, underlines the agency in a press release.
However, due to the rapid spread of Omicron, the pressure on the hospital system promises to be severe.
“Although a small proportion […] requires hospitalization, it is a significant number of people ”, so that the“ pressure on the NHS ”, the public health system,“ will increase ”, underlines the text.
“Cases are currently very high in the UK and even a relatively low proportion requiring hospitalization will result in significant numbers of seriously ill people,” said UK agency chief executive Jenny Harries.
On the vaccination front, analysis indicates that while the boosters improve vaccine protection, it wears off quickly, showing a decrease of between 15% and 25% about 10 weeks after the boost is given.
While welcoming the “promising” data, Health Minister Sajid Javid stressed that it was “too early” to determine the next steps, and called on the British to be cautious during the holidays.