Last week, the WHO warned of the massive and rapid spread of the Omigran variant: it said that in the next six to eight weeks, more than 50 percent of people in Europe could be affected by Omigran.
And the Federal Corona task force last week expected the Omigron wave peak in Switzerland to reach two to three weeks.
30,000 infections per day: The Federal Council is planning a corona emergency(09:58)
Significantly reduces the risk of death
Researchers in Berkeley, California, looked at the data of more than 52,000 people who tested positive for Omigran. This compares to 17,000 delta victims in December 2021. About 1.3 percent of those affected by the delta variant had to be hospitalized. For those with omicron disease, it was 0.5 percent, almost three times lower.
In addition, none of the Omigron patients needed artificial ventilation. One person died due to Omigran infection. For comparison: in the group with individuals affected by the delta variation, there were 14 deaths. The risk of death is 91 percent lower when affected by the Omigron variant compared to the delta.
Hospital stay was also shorter: Omigron patients were hospitalized 3.4 days shorter than those with delta variant. According to researchers, this reduces hospital stays by about 70 percent.
Nevertheless, Joseph Lenard, one of the authors of the California study, warned “New York Times”, Omigron should not be underestimated! “Because it spreads so easily, at some point many will inevitably be admitted to the hospital,” he said.
Vaccination is essential to protect against serious illness
A second study by researchers from South Africa Gave very similar results. In this study, data on 17,000 corona cases from mid-November to December were examined. 5000 of them are affected by Omigran, others are affected by delta variation. It also shows that the risk of disease leading to hospital admission or even death is 25 percent lower compared to the delta variant, with the Omigran variant.
Further studies show something else: Vaccines or previous infections are essential for protection against serious diseases. Taskforce leader Tanja Stadler, 41, already pointed out last week: After the Omigron peak in Switzerland, the task force expects 65 to 85 percent of the Swiss population to be immune. Omigran may be by infection or by the booster vaccine. (Oko)
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