Omicron BA.2 less severe than original COVID variants, says study
Signalling a diminishing severity of SARS Cov-2, a US-based research has found that the Omicron BA.2 subvariant is less severe than the Delta variant and to an even greater extent than the original Omicron variant.
Also Read: Potential new treatment for ‘Long Covid’ discovered. Read here
The US-based research team was led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital. It was found that out of the 1,02,315 confirmed COVID cases detected in the US from 3 March 2020 to 20 June 2022, more than half were detected to be Omicron variants. Out of the total cases under observation, there were 20,770 labelled as Delta variants, 52,605 labelled as Omicron B.1.1.529 variants, the original Omicron variant, and 28,940 labelled as Omicron BA.2 subvariants.
Also Read: Shape of coronavirus can tell how quickly virus will spread, study claims
The mortality rates were found to be 0.7 per cent for Delta, 0.4 per cent for the original Omicron variant. Whereas, the least scorer was the Omicron BA.2, which marked 0.3 per cent of the mortality rate.
According to the researchers, the risks of death due to Omicron BA.2 were way less than Delta variant and the original Omicron variant.
“While the SARS-CoV-2 virus always has the potential to mutate to a more deadly form, when you look at the recent trajectory of Delta, Omicron BA.1, to Omicron BA.2, the virus seems to be getting intrinsically less severe. Hopefully, this trend will continue,” the study’s lead author, Zachary Strasser, said.
Delta and Omicron patients were more likely to be hospitalised
The research validated the common assumption about the severity of the Delta variant and Omicron variant and its sub-variants. It said patients suffering from Delta and the original Omicron variant required more hospital care, invasive ventilation, and intensive care admissions.
The finding is another confirmation that the novel coronavirus is becoming less severe with its mutation.
The research used a method called entropy balancing, which accounted for potential confounding factors like prior infections, vaccinations, treatments, and comorbidities. This method helped this study in coming up with an accurate assessment of the severity of the SARS-Cov-2.
The method was applied to data leveraged from Mass General Brigham’s electronic health record system . The system is linked to a COVID-19 vaccine registry, informed the researchers.
The study’s lead author, Zachary Strasser, said the team would continue to use the analytics system and method to find answers to many more questions related to the virus. The team might begin research based on a similar method to find out the impact of vaccination and COVID treatment.
Omicron consists of several sublineages, including the most common ones like BA.1, BA.1.1, and BA.2.
The year began with the infectious wave of the Omicron variant of concern across the world. It accounted for nearly all sequences reported to GISAID. It is an initiative that ensures easy and instant sharing of data from all influenza viruses and the coronavirus causing COVID-19.
(With inputs from PTI)
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Signalling a diminishing severity of SARS Cov-2, a US-based research has found that the Omicron BA.2 subvariant is less severe than the Delta variant and to an even greater extent than the original Omicron variant.
Also Read: Potential new treatment for ‘Long Covid’ discovered. Read here
The US-based research team was led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital. It was found that out of the 1,02,315 confirmed COVID cases detected in the US from 3 March 2020 to 20 June 2022, more than half were detected to be Omicron variants. Out of the total cases under observation, there were 20,770 labelled as Delta variants, 52,605 labelled as Omicron B.1.1.529 variants, the original Omicron variant, and 28,940 labelled as Omicron BA.2 subvariants.
Also Read: Shape of coronavirus can tell how quickly virus will spread, study claims
The mortality rates were found to be 0.7 per cent for Delta, 0.4 per cent for the original Omicron variant. Whereas, the least scorer was the Omicron BA.2, which marked 0.3 per cent of the mortality rate.
According to the researchers, the risks of death due to Omicron BA.2 were way less than Delta variant and the original Omicron variant.
“While the SARS-CoV-2 virus always has the potential to mutate to a more deadly form, when you look at the recent trajectory of Delta, Omicron BA.1, to Omicron BA.2, the virus seems to be getting intrinsically less severe. Hopefully, this trend will continue,” the study’s lead author, Zachary Strasser, said.
Delta and Omicron patients were more likely to be hospitalised
The research validated the common assumption about the severity of the Delta variant and Omicron variant and its sub-variants. It said patients suffering from Delta and the original Omicron variant required more hospital care, invasive ventilation, and intensive care admissions.
The finding is another confirmation that the novel coronavirus is becoming less severe with its mutation.
The research used a method called entropy balancing, which accounted for potential confounding factors like prior infections, vaccinations, treatments, and comorbidities. This method helped this study in coming up with an accurate assessment of the severity of the SARS-Cov-2.
The method was applied to data leveraged from Mass General Brigham’s electronic health record system . The system is linked to a COVID-19 vaccine registry, informed the researchers.
The study’s lead author, Zachary Strasser, said the team would continue to use the analytics system and method to find answers to many more questions related to the virus. The team might begin research based on a similar method to find out the impact of vaccination and COVID treatment.
Omicron consists of several sublineages, including the most common ones like BA.1, BA.1.1, and BA.2.
The year began with the infectious wave of the Omicron variant of concern across the world. It accounted for nearly all sequences reported to GISAID. It is an initiative that ensures easy and instant sharing of data from all influenza viruses and the coronavirus causing COVID-19.
(With inputs from PTI)
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