“Cautious optimism” Scientists: Omicron is less able to put you in hospital

Two new studies provided some early indications that the omicron mutant may be milder than the delta mutant, while AstraZeneca confirmed that a third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine significantly increases the level of omicron antibodies.

Two new British studies provide some early indications that the omicron mutant of the coronavirus may be milder than the delta mutant.

The scientists stress that even if the results of these early studies hold, any simplification in severity needs to be weighed against the fact that Omicron spreads much faster than Delta and has a greater ability to avoid vaccines.

The number of injuries themselves can still overwhelm hospitals.

New studies released Wednesday support previous research suggesting that the omicron may not be as harmful as the delta mutate, Manuel Ascano Jr., a biochemist at Vanderbilt University said.

"Cautious optimism might be the best way to look at this," he added.

An analysis from the Covid-19 response team at Imperial College London estimated the risks of hospitalizations for omicron cases in England, and found that people with the mutant are about 20% less likely to go to hospital than those with delta, and 40% less likely to be admitted to hospital. hospital for a night or more.

This analysis included all cases of Covid-19 confirmed by "PCR" tests in England in the first half of December, in which the mutant can be identified, and they were 56 thousand cases of omicron and 269,000 cases of delta.

A separate study by scientists at the University of Edinburgh and other experts indicated that the risk of hospitalization for those with an omicron was two-thirds lower than those with a delta mutant.

On the other hand, the pharmaceutical company “AstraZeneca” confirmed Thursday that a third dose of its vaccine against Covid-19 “significantly” increases the level of antibodies to the Omicron mutant, referring to a clinical study in this regard.

The company explained in a statement that "levels of omicron-neutralizing antibodies after a third dose of the Vaxyphria serum" that it developed against Covid "are largely similar to the levels achieved after two doses against the delta mutant."