In a new study from the U.K. Health Security Agency, researchers found people infected with omicron are less likely to be hospitalized compared to people who had delta.
They found the risk of hospitalization for people infected with omicron is only about a third of that posed by the delta variant.
In the study, the team analyzed more than 528,000 omicron cases and 573,000 delta cases from Nov. 22 through Dec. 26 in England.
The team also found current COIVD vaccines reduce the risk of hospitalization from omicron, and a booster dose provides the highest level of protection.
One vaccine dose is 52% effective at preventing hospitalization from the omicron variant, while two doses were 72% effective.
Six months later, the two doses weakened and were 52% effective at preventing hospitalization.
Booster doses strongly increase protection and are 88% effective at preventing hospitalization two weeks after receiving the shot.
The team also found Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines are only about 10% effective at preventing symptomatic infection from omicron 20 weeks after the second dose.
But booster doses increase protection and are up to 75% effective at preventing infection two to four weeks after receiving the third shot.
However, boosters weaken after about 10 weeks, providing 40 to 50% protection against symptomatic infection.
The findings are in line with evidence showing that although the vaccines have taken a hit from omicron, they still provide significant levels of protection compared to people who are unvaccinated.
The team cautioned that it is still too early to draw strong conclusions about the severity of illness caused by omicron.
If you care about Omicron, please read studies about do at-home COVID-19 tests detect omicron, and what you need to know Omicron and COVID boosters.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about people infected with Omicron less likely to get Delta infection, and results showing that Omicron may be less likely to cause severe disease.
One researcher of the study is Susan Hopkins.
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