Omicron Associated With Two-Thirds Less Risk of COVID-19 Hospitalization Than Delta - Study

WASHINGTON, (Sputnik) - The coronavirus Omicron variant is associated with two-thirds lesser risk for an infected person to be hospitalized when compared to the Delta variant, a new study by a group of researchers from the University of Edinburgh found on Wednesday.

“These early national data suggest that Omicron is associated with a two-thirds reduction in the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization when compared to Delta,” according to the study results.

The study also found that a booster shot is associated with a 57% reduction in the risk of symptomatic COVID-19 for Omicron and provides the greatest possible protection against Delta.

On Monday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the Omicron variant, which emerged in November in southern Africa, accounts now for nearly 75% of all new infections in the United States.

Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that there is consistent evidence that Omicron spreads faster than other coronavirus variants and infects vaccinated and recovered people.