New CDC study on Omicron appearing to cause less severe disease

CDC study: Omicron appears to cause less severe disease The omicron variant is on average causing less severe disease than previous variants of the virus, a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study found. Peter Sullivan TheHill

The omicron variant is on average causing less severe disease than previous variants of the virus, a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study found.

The ratio of hospital admissions to cases and the ratio of deaths to cases were lower during the omicron wave than during the delta variant peak last year or the winter of 2020-2021, the study found.

Still, omicron is placing a strain on hospitals, the study said, even if a smaller percentage of cases are severe.

“Despite Omicron seeing the highest reported numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations during the pandemic, disease severity indicators, including length of stay, ICU admission, and death, were lower than during previous pandemic peaks,” the study stated.

“Although disease severity appears lower with the Omicron variant, the high volume of hospitalizations can strain local health care systems and the average daily number of deaths remains substantial,” it added. ...

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