“The overall risk associated with the new Omicron variant” of the covid “remains very high. Consistent evidence shows that this variant has a growth advantage over Delta with a doubling time“of the cases”2-3 days. A rapid increase in incidence is observed in a number of countries, including those where Omicron has become the dominant Sars-CoV-2 variant, such as the United Kingdom and the United States. “The World Health Organization points out. in the weekly epidemiological update.
“A decline in the incidence of cases has now been observed in South Africa,” notes the report. “The rapid rate of growth is likely to be a combination of the immune evasion and inherent increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant. Early data from the UK, South Africa and Denmark suggests there is a reduced risk of hospitalization for Omicron compared to the Delta variant, however – adds the WHO – additional data is required to understand clinical markers of disease severity including oxygen use, mechanical ventilation and deaths, and to understand how severity may be affected by vaccination or a previous infection. ”
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