British Studies Suggest Omicron Coronavirus Less Severe

Early data suggests that people infected with the Omicron coronavirus are 50 to 70 percent less likely to be hospitalized than those with the Delta¹, Britain's public health agency announced Thursday, December 23rd.

The new finding on COVID-19 disease was "a small ray of sunlight," said one researcher.

The data adds to growing evidence that omicron produces milder sickness than other versions of the virus. But scientists warn that reductions in severity must be weighed against the fact that omicron spreads much faster than Delta.

Based on cases in Britain, a person with omicron is estimated to be 31 percent to 45 percent less likely to go to a hospital emergency department compared to someone with Delta. And the same person is "50 to 70% less likely to be admitted to hospital," the agency said.

The British Public Health Security Agency said the finding has a high level of uncertainty². It said it was based on a small number of omicron patients in hospitals and that most of them were in younger age groups. As of December 20, 132 people had been admitted to U.K. hospitals with confirmed omicron. Fourteen of them died, all between the ages of 52 and 96.

Experts not involved with the research called it promising³.

"To me, it's a small ray of sunlight among all the dark clouds," said Dr. Jonathan Li, director of the Harvard/Brigham Virology Specialty⁴ Laboratory.

The signs that omicron may cause less severe disease support lab data suggesting omicron does not grow as well in cells of the lungs, Li said.

The findings add to similar data from South Africa, added Dr. Bruce Walker. He is director of the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard.

Walker said there are still unknowns, such as the relative severity of omicron in someone vaccinated⁵ compared with someone who had COVID-19 before or someone who is unvaccinated and has not had the disease.

Vaccination⁶ remains⁷ critical, he said. Walker is an investigator⁸ with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which also supports The Associated Press' Health and Science Department.

The British agency's research said the protection a vaccine⁹ booster shot gives against symptomatic omicron infection appears to lessen¹⁰ after about 10 weeks. Protection against hospitalization and severe disease is likely to last longer, it said.

The announcement came after two studies, from Imperial College London and Scottish researchers, found patients with omicron were 20 to 68 percent less likely to require hospital treatment than those with Delta.

Information from South Africa, where Omicron was discovered, has also suggested omicron might be less severe there. Salim Abdool Karim is an infectious disease expert in South Africa. He recently said that the rate of admissions to hospitals was far lower for Omicron than it was for Delta.

"Our overall admission rate is in the region of around 2% to 4% compared to previously¹¹, where it was closer to 20%," he said. Karim added that, although there are a large number of cases, fewer are being admitted to the hospital.

Words in This Story

data -n. facts about something that can be used in calculating, reasoning, or planning

ray -n. a beam of radiant energy (such as light) of small cross section

mild –adj. moderate in action or effect

relative –adj. compared to someone or something else or to each other : seeming to be something when compared with others

booster -n. a substance or dose used to renew or increase the effect of a drug or immunizing agent: such as

symptomatic –adj. showing that a particular disease is present : relating to or showing symptoms of a disease

region –n. a part of a country, of the world, that is different or separate from other parts in some way

previously –adv. existing or happening before the present time

1 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

2 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

3 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

4 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

5 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

6 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。

9 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

10 lessen   

vt.减少，减轻；缩小

参考例句：

• Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
• They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。

11 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。