More Contagious, less Deadly

(London) Researchers in the UK are increasingly convinced the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus is much milder than the previous Delta mutation, and most likely the least lethal strain so far, thereby confirming earlier findings in South Africa.

According to research by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA(, people who get infected with the Omicron variant are far less likely to become severely ill or even die than individuals who contracted Delta.

The research, seen by Politico, which reported the findings today, is expected to be made public in the next few days and to confirm earlier findings from South Africa that the Omicron variant is the mildest variant identified so far and has not led to a jump in Covid death rates.

Moreover, a new Omicron study published in Scotland only hours ago suggests that Omicron is associated with a two-thirds reduction in the risk of Covid-19 hospitalisation when compared to Delta, according to medical experts from Edinburgh & Strathclyde University.

In addition, in South Africa, people contracting Covid-19 in the current fourth wave of infections are 80 per cent less likely to be hospitalized if they catch the omicron variant, compared with other strains, according to a study released by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases today.

More contagious, less deadly

THE UKHSA reportedly stressed that transmissibility of the Omicron variant is higher than the Delta mutation, as previously reported by dozens of media outlets across Africa, meaning more people may become Covid positive within a short period of time compared to Delta.

The variant has more than 30 mutations – around twice as many as the Delta variant – which make it more transmissible and evade the protection given by prior infection or vaccination.

The WHO has also concluded that preliminary evidence suggests the variant has an increased risk of reinfection and may spread more rapidly than other strains, including Delta.

An industry expert underpinned the higher contagiousness of the Omicron variant today as he warned the mutation doubles the risk of being infected on a plane.

David Powell, a top medical advisor to airlines at the International Air Transport Association, said that passengers are twice or even three times more likely to catch Covid-19 while flying since the emergence of Omicron.

Sitting in business class rather than the tightly packed economy section can reduce your chance of catching Covid-19, he added.

“Whatever the risk was with delta, we would have to assume the risk would be two to three times greater with omicron, just as we’ve seen in other environments,” Powel said in comments to Bloomberg.

Omicron could be blessing in disguise

The high level of contagiousness, paired with very mild symptoms, may make Omicron a blessing in disguise, medical experts have said.

Looking at the data sets made public in recent weeks, virologist Marc van Ranst said that “if the omicron variant is less pathogenic but with greater infectivity, allowing Omicron to replace Delta, this would be very positive.”

“It is extremely important we need to closely monitor the clinical data of Omicron patients in South Africa and worldwide,” Van Ranst stressed.

Moreover, Dr Angelique Coetzee, chair of the South African Medical Association, said harsh measures and closing borders are “medically seen, not justified.”

A GP for over three decades, and chair of the South African Medical Association, she was the first African doctor to suggest to local authorities Covid had mutated into a new strain.

“Looking at the mildness of the symptoms we are seeing, currently there is no reason for panicking as we don’t see any severely ill patients.”

In any case, Omicron is rapidly replacing the Delta variant as the dominant coronavirus strain in most countries.

In the US, Omicron accounted for 73 per cent of new infections last week, health officials said — and the variant is responsible for an estimated 90 per cent or more of new infections in the New York area, the south-east, the industrial mid-west and the Pacific north-west.

Confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK have surged by 60 per cent in a week as Omicron overtook Delta as the dominant variant. Worldwide, the variant has been detected in at least 89 countries, according to the World Health Organisation.

Boosters and Covid pills

The UKHSA has reportedly concluded that a booster dose of most Covid vaccines significantly reduce the chances of both infection and hospital admission.

The news comes as the UK health department fast-tracked two new deals with Merck and Pfizer to secure an additional 4.25m courses of their anti-Covid pills as it lines up defences for the NHS ahead of an expected winter wave of the new Omicron variant.

Pfizer’s pill is yet to be approved for use in most countries, however, including in the UK.

But it’s fared slightly better in its final clinical trials last month: among high-risk patients, the pill was found to reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death by 89 per cent, and early tests suggest it is effective against the Omicron variant.

In the US, reports merged last night that the US regulator, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is poised to authorise both pills developed by Pfizer and Merck for the treatment of Covid in the coming days.

Findings in South Africa

The UK research follows earlier findings in South African, where Omicron was first detected.

South Africa has been at the forefront of the Omicron wave and the world is watching for any signs of how it may play out there to try to understand what may be in store.

Most patients merely experience a severe headache, nausea, dizziness and a high pulse rate, according to hospitals and medics across the Southern African country.

However, the news of the new variant, first reported in South Africa last month, led to mass hysteria around the world last month.

Markets thumbed and dozens of countries imposed travel restrictions and additional checks, including the UK, US, EU, Israel, Australia and Japan after the new mutation popped up in the UK, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic and Israel among other countries.

Despite this reaction, South Africa’s health minister Joe Phaahla strssed the majority of cases of Omicron seen by doctors in his country have been “mild”.

Asked what he knows about how unwell people are who have it, Dr Phaahla said: “It is still too early at this stage” but he added he has heard from GPs that the “majority of the people they’ve been seeing are mild.”

“Our clinicians have not witnessed severe illness. Part of it may be because the majority of those who are positive are young people,” Dr Paahla added.

Omicron peak may have passed

A noticeable drop in new Covid-19 cases in recent days may signal that South Africa’s dramatic Omicron-driven surge has passed its peak, medical experts say.

Daily virus case counts are notoriously unreliable, as they can be affected by uneven testing, reporting delays and other fluctuations – but they are offering a hint that Omicron infections may recede quickly after a ferocious spike.

After hitting a high of nearly 27,000 new cases nationwide on Thursday, the numbers dropped to about 15,424 on Tuesday.