Omicron up to 70% less likely to need hospital care: Report

London, Dec 25: People getting infected with Omicron are 50 per cent to 70 per cent less likely to need hospital care compared with previous Covid-19 variants, says an analysis. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said its early findings are "encouraging" but the variant could still lead to large numbers of people in hospital, reports the BBC.

The Agency's latest analysis is based on all cases of Omicron and Delta in the UK since the beginning of November, including 132 people admitted to the hospital with the variant.

There have also been 14 deaths in people within 28 days of getting infected with the new variant.

"Our latest analysis shows an encouraging early signal that people who contract the Omicron variant may be at a relatively lower risk of hospitalisation than those who contract other variants," Jenny Harries, the Chief Executive of the UKHSA, was quoted as saying.

However, the UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said it was "too early" to determine "next steps".

The study also showed the jab's ability to stop people from catching Omicron starts to wane 10 weeks after a booster dose.

Protection against severe disease is likely to be far more robust, the report said.

The report comes hot on the heels of data from South Africa, Denmark, England and Scotland which all pointed to reduced severity.