Research Out Of U.K. Suggests Hospitalization Less Likely With Omicron

LONDON (AP) – Britain’s public health agency says preliminary data suggests that people with the omicron variant of the coronavirus are 50% to 70% less likely to be hospitalized than those with the delta strain.

One researcher described the findings announced Thursday as “a small ray of sunlight among all the dark clouds.”

The report from the U.K. Health Security Agency adds to emerging evidence that omicron produces milder illness than other variants.

But scientists caution that any reductions in severity must be weighed against the fact that omicron spreads much faster than delta and is better at evading vaccines.