Omicron may be less severe in young and old, but not 'mild' - WHO
(VOVWORLD) - The more infectious Omicron variant of COVID-19 appears to produce less severe disease than the globally dominant Delta strain, but should not be categorised as "mild", World Health Organization (WHO) officials said on Thursday.
 People queue for a COVID-19 test at a popup testing site as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread in the Queens borough of New York City, US, December 23, 2021. (Photo: Reuters)
|
Janet Diaz, WHO lead on clinical management, said early studies showed there was a reduced risk of hospitalisation from the variant first identified in November compared with Delta.
There appears also to be a reduced risk of severity in both younger and older people, she told a media briefing from WHO headquarters in Geneva.
However, the WHO Director General said at the same briefing that while Omicron does appear to be less severe compared to Delta, especially in those vaccinated, it does not mean it should be categorised as mild.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that just like previous variants, Omicron is hospitalising people and it is killing people.
He warned of a "tsunami" of cases as global infections soar to records fuelled by both Omicron and Delta.