Omicron variant may be less severe than Delta: expert virologist
The Covid-19 Omicron variant may likely be less severe than Delta, expert virologist Dr Yong Poovorawan wrote on his Facebook page on Wednesday.
Yong pointed out that the Delta variant was found in 99 per cent of cases across the globe.
He also said the world was now seeing the seasonal H1N1 flu before the 2009 H1N1 flu spread.
Yong said the Delta variant would of course be replaced by Omicron if the latter spreads more easily.
Outside Africa, about half of the total patients in the UK, Norway and Denmark have shown no symptoms, while the other half have seen a small number of symptoms when compared to the Delta variant, he wrote.
Meanwhile, the number of Omicron patients requiring hospitalisation in southern Africa is so far less than the Delta variant.
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Yong also said it would be good news if Omicron was “truly not severe”. If the disease is not severe and spreads to a large number of people, it will create herd immunity. The need for vaccines will be reduced, especially for people who have been infected before, and vaccine buyers will have the upper hand.
Present information about the severity of Omicron might take some time to prove, he added.
