Real World Data Indicate Omicron Variant May Be Less Deadly

Adults infected with the Omicron variant are 29 percent less likely to enter the hospital than people infected with other COVID-19 strains, according to the first large-scale real-world clinical data.

Discovery Health, the largest private insurer in South Africa, released both clinical and immunologic data from more than 211,000 tested participants, 78,000 of whom were positive for the Omicron strain, on Dec. 14. It paints a picture of a much more transmissible but potentially less lethal illness.

The new data were released just a day after lab results were publicized showing that Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine booster provides limited protection against the Omicron variant even as the Pfizer/BioNTech booster, a mRNA-based shot, appears to provide stronger protection.

“Epidemiological tracking shows a steep trajectory of new infections, indicating Omicron’s rapid spread but so far with a flatter trajectory of hospital admissions, possibly indicating lower severity,” said Andrew Noach, Discovery’s CEO.