Ontario Says Omicron Currently Has 54% Less Risk Than Delta For Death & Hospitalization
However, due to the transmissibility of Omicron, hospitalizations could rise.
Most people don't want to catch any variant of COVID-19, but according to a new study, you may be better off catching the Omicron variant over the Delta variant.
Public Health Ontario says the Omicron variant has 54% less risk of death or hospitalization than the Delta variant, according to an early study.
The study was conducted from matched cohort cases of the Delta and Omicron variants with onset symptoms from November 22 to December 17. The matches were made based on age, gender, and the patient's onset date and were compared.
The data was gathered from Ontario's Public Health Case and Contact Management Solution (which is associated with the Ontario Ministry of Health's COVaxON application) and was used to "examine hospitalizations and death rates" of Omicron and Delta cases.
The study found that Delta cases had a 2.24% rate of hospitalization or death with seven deaths, and Omicron cases had a 0.33% rate of hospitalization or death with no reported deaths.
However, despite the Omicron variant's "reduced severity," the study says, "due to the transmissibility of Omicron, the absolute number of hospitalizations and impact on the healthcare system is likely to be significant."
The Omicron variant also had younger median age compared to the Delta variant.
According to the study, the median age of Omicron patients was 28 years old, whereas the median age for Delta patients was two years higher at 30 years old.
Currently, Ontario has put more measures in place as case numbers continue to rise across the province. Including limited capacity at restaurants and shrinking gathering limits.
Health Canada has a robust website with all the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines and can answer any questions you may have.