Study estimates omicron patients at 'substantially reduced risk' than delta patients | TheHill - The Hill

A preprint study released Tuesday estimated that patients infected with the omicron variant were at “substantially reduced risk” of severe outcomes than delta patients, aligning with earlier research suggesting omicron cases may cause less severe disease.

The study, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, used modeling to determine that the omicron strain was about half as likely to send patients to California hospitals than the delta variant.

Patients hospitalized with the omicron strain were also more likely to have shorter hospital stays than delta patients. .

“While we are seeing early evidence that omicron is less severe than delta and that those infected are less likely to require hospitalization, it's important to note that omicron continues to be much more transmissible than delta,” she said. .

The study involved more than 52,000 omicron patients and almost 17,000 delta patients within the Kaiser Permanente Southern California health care system between Nov.