Ómicron and Pfizer: Compared to previous variants of the coronavirus, omicron appears to cause less serious illness. But it is more resistant to the Pfizer vaccine, report researchers from South Africa’s largest health insurer.
It is the first major private study since the variant was first detected
The Discovery Health team analyzed 211,000 positive cases of coronavirus during the country’s fourth wave, including 78,000 attributed to omicron. It is the first major private study since the variant was first detected last month.
The researchers found that during the latest wave, the risk of hospital admission among adults with COVID-19. It was 29% lower than in the first pandemic wave that began in March 2020.
However, the Pfizer vaccine provided only 33% protection against omicron infection. A much lower rate than against other variants, according to the study.
The vaccine provided 70% protection against serious complications that would require hospitalization. Which is “very good protection,” the researchers said.
“This is the first time that we have data on that.” Dr. Eric Topol, vice president of research at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California, told US Today.
“Seventy percent is definitely a drop down menu. It’s not cool. It was 95% effective [contra] a serious disease when it was the Delta variant and then about 85% after six months of decline, “said Topol.
It is not yet clear if those numbers will hold up.
It’s not yet clear if those numbers will hold up as more omicron patients are studied, he added.
The South African researchers also found that children had a 20% higher risk of hospitalization with complications during the fourth wave than during the first wave, US Today reported.
“What’s encouraging at this stage is a flatter hospital admissions trajectory that probably indicates less severity of this wave,” said Ryan Noach, Discovery’s CEO, during a news conference.
But earlier, he warned that South Africa’s healthcare system could still be overwhelmed as omicron continues to evolve.
“The fourth wave driven by Omicron has a significantly steeper trajectory of new infections compared to previous waves,” Noach said in a statement.
“National data show an exponential increase in both new infections and test positivity rates during the first three weeks of this wave, indicating a highly transmissible variant with rapid spread of infection in the community.”
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