One study found that people infected with the COVID-19 omicron mutant virus had a significantly lower hospitalization rate than those infected with the delta mutant virus. Omicron confirmed that the severity and mortality of patients were very low.
CNBC reported on the 12th (local time), citing research data from Kaiser Permanente, a large medical institution that operates 39 hospitals in the United States. The study is the result of analyzing data from Kaiser Permanente Southern California from November 30 of last year to January 1 of this year. The target of the investigation is about 52,000 people infected with Omicron and about 17,000 people with the delta mutation.
As a result of the analysis, people infected with Omicron were only half as likely to be hospitalized as those with the delta mutation. The risk of serious disease requiring intensive care and mortality was reduced by 75% and 90%, respectively. None of the patients infected with Omicron were on ventilators.
Furthermore, the duration of hospitalization for omicron mutation patients was an average of 1.5 days, which was shorter than that of delta mutation patients (median 5 days). 90% of patients with oomicron mutations were discharged within 3 days. The study was conducted by researchers from Kaiser Permanente, UC Berkeley and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Hopes for an end to COVID-19 are rising as research results show that the power of omicron mutations is weaker than that of delta mutations. Swiss Health Minister Alain Burset said the same day that “Omicron is very contagious, but it is less dangerous.”
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director Anthony Fauci said: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates tweeted, “If Omicron scans a country, there will be far fewer confirmed cases. Ultimately, COVID-19 Will be treated like seasonal flu.”
Some say the stress should not be slowed down because omicrons are spreading rapidly and burdening the medical system. According to the New York Times (NYT), the average number of new COVID-19 cases in the United States per day for the past seven days stood at 781,203 as of today, a record high. They have been writing new records every day since December 12 last year (117,454 people). The average number of hospitalized patients per day in the last 7 days was 142,454, which is the highest in history.
Central and South America are also in a state of emergency due to the increase in COVID-19. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), part of the World Health Organization (WHO), said last week that the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Argentina and Paraguay increased by nearly 300% compared to the previous week. . “Omicron will soon become the dominant species in the region,” said PAHO director Carissa Etienne.
Reporter Park Sang-yong [email protected]
Hankyung.com, unauthorized reprint and redistribution prohibited
Amateur web specialist. General food junkie. Typical zombie enthusiast. Avid music trailblazer. Lifelong explorer.
