Omicron: a more contagious but less dangerous variant? – LCI

Day after day, the Omicron variant is spreading at lightning speed. It represents 20% of new cases today, but in a few days it will be the majority. “It’s going extremely fast. We go from 20% to 60 to 70% very quickly. We know that it is three times more contagious ”.

But is it more dangerous? The answer is no. The Omicron variant is less severe. According to an English study, a patient with Omicron has up to 45% less risk of staying in hospital. This explains why in England, the contaminations curve is soaring while hospitalizations remain stable. British health authorities even claim that with Omicron, the risk of hospitalization drops by 50 to 70%.

Despite everything, WHO experts warn: the more infections there are, the more the hospitals will risk saturation. “The dangerousness of the virus does not necessarily come from its aggressiveness, but it comes mainly from its transmissibility. If we have a huge number of patients, ultimately the pressure on hospitals will remain the same ”.

Currently, more than 3,000 people are being treated in intensive care for Covid-19. Six out of ten beds are already occupied. This doctor fears the effects of the Omicron wave to come. “Out of the mass of infected people, there will undoubtedly be patients who will need resuscitation. We are preparing for this with additional bed openings in January ”.

According to the latest English and South African studies, the Omicron variant could thwart the effectiveness of vaccines. Faced with this strain, only vaccination with three doses protects against severe forms of Covid-19.

TF1 | Report JM Bagayoko, A. Malawaud, C. Ebrel, C. Souhaut, A. Pocry, O. Stammbach, O. Hubert, M. Neboth, A. Dubail