The Omicron variant bypasses vaccinated immunity more effectively than the Delta, according to a Danish report published last week, which explains Omicron’s high transmissibility.
Since the discovery of the highly variable Omicron variant in November, scientists have begun to look for reasons why it causes less severe disease and is more contagious than the Delta variant.
A virus can be more contagious for a number of reasons, such as its survival time in the air, its ability to penetrate cells, or bypassing the body’s immune system.
Studying about 12,000 households in Denmark in mid-December, the researchers found that Omicron was 2.7 to 3.7 times more contagious than Delta in vaccinated Danes.
A study by researchers at the University of Copenhagen, Statistics Denmark and the Statens Serum Institute (SSI) shows that the virus is transmitted faster because it is more effective at breaking down the immunity achieved through vaccines.
“Our findings confirm that the rapid spread of Omicron can be attributed primarily to bypassing immunity rather than to the inherent increase in baseline transmissibility,” say the authors of the study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed.
78% of Danes are fully vaccinated, while 48% have received the third booster dose. More than 8 in 10 Danes have received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
The study also found that people who received a third booster dose were less likely to transmit the virus, regardless of variation, than those who did not.
Although more contagious, Omicron appears to cause less serious illness, according to SSI technical director Tyra Grove Krause.
“Although Omicron will still be able to put pressure on the health system, everything shows that it is milder than the Delta variant,” he said, adding that the risk of being treated with Omicron is half that of Delta. And this conclusion coincides with the results of other studies.
Of the 93 people admitted to Omicron Hospital in late December, less than 5 received intensive care, the figures show.
“This may take us out of the pandemic, so this is the last wave,” said the SSI technical director.
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