NORTH AMERICA: It might be tempting to treat Omicron as the “mild” cousin of its Covid predecessors but a comparison reveals the widespread lie so many are swallowing.
“Omicron is milder.”
It is the catchphrase uttered so regularly since the latest Covid-19 variant emerged that we take it as gospel.
But the truth about the impact of Omicron vs Delta is far less black and white.
Take the latest data out of the US.
Statistics from Johns Hopkins University and the World Health Organisation show there are more daily deaths attributed to Covid-19 in the United States right now than anytime since the pandemic began in late 2019 with the exception of two months last winter.
The only time daily deaths were higher in the US was when they spiked to a record high 4000+ in January last year.
What’s driving that number? Record high cases on the back of Omicron’s transmissability. Yes, for many, Omicron is milder.
But for others, the highly-transmissable variant is harder to avoid and delivers just as much punch.
Oncologist from the Mayo Clinic, Professor Vincent Rajkumar, shared the data on Sunday.
“Reality bites,” he wrote.
“US cases are dropping but it is still higher than prior waves. Except for two months last year, US daily deaths are higher than anytime during the pandemic. Be patient. Stay safe.”
World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued a similar warning late last month about underestimating the danger of Omicron.
“Omicron may be less severe — on average, of course — but the narrative that it is mild disease is misleading, hurts the overall response, and costs more lives,” he told the media from the WHO’s headquarters.
– news.com.au
Comparison between Omicron, Delta - POST-COURIER
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