"Omicron is associated with a two-thirds reduction in the risk of hospitalisation compared to Delta variant," says: Scotland Experts

Omicron patients were 15% to 20% less likely to visit the hospitals

Taking notes from the experts on the new variant Omicron, it is likely to land fewer patients in the hospital than the Delta strain, according to a trio of studies of preliminary data.

As the researchers of Scotland suggest, Omicron is associated with a two-thirds reduction in the risk of hospitalisation when compared with the earlier variant. However, Omicron was ten times more likely than Delta to infect people who'd already had Covid.

While researching Omicron, the Imperial College London team working with a larger set of data from England found that people with Omicron were 15% to 20% less likely to visit the hospital and 40% to 45% less likely to require an overnight stay.

In a survey, on Wednesday, South Africans contracting Covid-19 are 80% less likely to be hospitalised if they catch the new variant, compared with other strains. Omicron infections are also associated with a 70% lower risk of severe disease than Delta, the study by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases showed.

Although primary, the body of research could provide reassurance that Omicron may be substantially less likely to result in severe outcomes than Delta, at least in places where large numbers of people already have some immunity.

However, researchers said the highly contagious new strain could weigh on healthcare systems as infections soar worldwide. Daily Covid cases in the U.K. surged above 100,000 Wednesday, the country's highest single-day tally yet.

"It's important that we don't get ahead of ourselves," said Jim McMenamin, national Covid-19 incident director for Public Health Scotland, which conducted the Scottish study with the University of Edinburgh and the University of Strathclyde. "A smaller proportion of a greater number of cases requiring treatment might still mean a substantial number of people that may experience severe Covid."

Booster doses offer greater protection against Delta, and a third shot also offers substantial additional protection against the risk of symptomatic infection for Omicron, the Scottish team found.

Public health leaders have cautioned that other factors, such as higher numbers of people who are vaccinated or have previously had Covid, may also complicate any comparison with previous points in the pandemic. The Scottish study also included very few people over 60.