World Health Organization officials said that the new mutated version of the Corona virus, “Omicron”, which is the fastest transmitting and most contagious, appears to cause less severe disease symptoms than the “Delta” mutant, the world’s dominant version. But they added that Omicron’s infection should not be classified as “mild”.
Janet Diaz, head of clinical health care at the World Health Organization, said that recent studies reveal that the odds of hospitalization with the “Omicron” mutant are lower compared to the “Delta” mutant.
Omicron was discovered in South Africa and Hong Kong in November. Diaz said in a press briefing from the headquarters of the World Health Organization in Geneva that it also appears that the odds of developing severe symptoms are low in both young people and older men.
The statements about the low severity of the disease are in line with other data, including studies in South Africa and England.
Diaz did not provide any details about the studies or the ages of the cases studied.
The effect of the omicron mutant on the elderly remains one of the big questions that seeks an answer, as most of the cases studied so far were among young people.
“While the Omicron mutant appears to be less dangerous compared to Delta, especially among those who have received the vaccine, this does not mean that it is classified as a mild case,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in the same press briefing. “Omicron, like previous versions, leads to transportation to hospitals and kills people,” he added.
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