Covid: risk of Ômicron leading to hospitalization is up to 70% lower, says British agency

People who get the Ômicron variant of the new coronavirus are 50% to 70% less likely to need hospital care compared to previous variants, a new analysis found.

The UK Health Safety Agency says its first findings are “encouraging” but that the variant could still bring large numbers of people to hospital.

The analysis also shows that the vaccine’s ability to protect against Ômicron begins to decline ten weeks after the booster dose.

Covid-19’s severe form protection, on the other hand, is probably more robust. The most recent analysis is based on all cases of the Ômicron and Delta variants in the UK since early November, including 132 people hospitalized with the new variant. There were also 14 deaths.

The report shows that people who took Ômicron have:

– 31% to 45% less chance of needing medical care; – 50% to 70% less chance of being hospitalized for treatment.

However, a milder virus can still put pressure on health systems. Any benefit from a milder virus can be wiped out by a large number of people who get the disease.

There is also uncertainty about what will happen when Ômicron reaches older age groups, because the majority of people who have taken the new variant and gone to hospital so far are under 40 years old.

“Our latest analysis shows an encouraging sign that people who contract the Ômicron variant may be at relatively lower risk of hospitalization than those who contract other variants,” said Jenny Harries, president of the British agency.

“But even a relatively low proportion that requires hospitalization can result in a significant number of seriously ill people.”

There are also signs that the effect of booster doses diminishes over time.

Two doses of a vaccine offer limited protection against Ômicron, and the extra protection afforded by the booster dose drops between 15% and 25% after ten weeks. This is still better than not taking any booster shots, which protect against severe forms of illness or death.

Health and Social Welfare Secretary Sajid Javid warned: “Cases of the new strain continue to increase at an extraordinary rate – already surpassing the pandemic’s daily record. Hospital admissions are on the rise, and we can’t risk that system of health become overloaded”.