The Omicron variant causes mild effects and symptoms in children under the age of 5. It is the result of the study conducted in the United States, through a research that involved about 80,000 children infected with covid. The Omicron variant is “inherently mild,” with an infection causing “significantly less severe effects” than the Delta variant, according to the as yet unrevised study.
In the analysis, CNN points out, reference is made to a 70% reduction in hospitalizations, intensive care and the use of assisted breathing compared to the data associated with the Delta variant. Emergency room visits are also down by 29%. Of the children infected with Omicron, about 1% needed hospitalization. With Delta, on the other hand, it reaches 3%.
“Despite the encouraging result, further studies are needed to monitor the acute long-term consequences of the Omicron variant, the propensity to develop ‘long covid’, the rapidity of spread, the potential mutation and how previous infections may alter clinical responses. “, the researchers write.
“In addition, although infections related to the Omicron variant appear to be milder according to this study, due to increased transmissibility the absolute number of emergency room visits, hospitalizations and ICU admissions, the use of assisted breathing for children may be higher. with the Omicron variant compared to what happened with the Delta variant “, continue the scientists.
In the United States, covid hospitalizations of children have hit record highs in recent weeks. In the last week of December, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 10 hospitalizations were recorded for every 100,000 children under the age of 5.
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