Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

UK says Omicron cases at much lower risk of hospital admission

UK says Omicron cases at much lower risk of hospital admission

THERE is a lower risk of hospitalisation for people with the Omicron coronavirus variant compared to Delta, but the higher transmissibility of Omicron could still lead to significant numbers needing hospital treatment, the UK government said.

Analysis of preliminary data by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) showed an individual with Omicron was estimated to be between 31 per cent and 45 per cent less likely to attend hospital compared to someone with Delta, and 50 to 70 per cent less likely to be admitted.


UKHSA Chief Executive Jenny Harries said on Thursday it was "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."

"However, it should be noted both that this is early data and more research is required to confirm these findings," she said.

Omicron variant: Britain reports first death globally (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

The numbers came as Britain reported a record 119,789 new daily Covid-19 cases on Thursday (23) as the new variant swept the country.

The UKHSA's analysis is highly uncertain because of the small numbers of Omicron cases currently in hospital, inability to effectively measure all previous infections and the limited spread of Omicron into older age groups, it said.

Still, the findings add to early evidence about the severity of disease that the new variant, first identified in southern Africa and Hong Kong, can cause and are consistent with encouraging signs from studies from Imperial College London and the University of Edinburgh on Wednesday.

Transmissiblity, severity of disease and whether Omicron evades vaccines are the three big questions public health authorities and virologists are trying to answer as governments assess whether they need to take unpopular, economically damaging steps to tame the latest wave of infections.

Omicron may appear milder because people are vaccinated, or have some natural protection from prior infection. It is also possible that the virus has changed in a way that produces milder symptoms. Younger people - a large share of Omicron cases - are also less likely to suffer severe illness.

The agency said evidence showed protection against symptomatic disease waned after the second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, and then improved after the booster.

But the data suggested the extra protection started to wane more rapidly against Omicron than Delta, being about 15-25 per cent lower from 10 weeks after the booster dose, it said.

LONDON CALLING

As of Monday, 132 people confirmed with Omicron had been treated in hospital. Over 40 per cent of hospital admissions were in London.

Of those patients admitted to hospital, 17 had received a booster vaccine, 74 people had two doses and 27 people were not vaccinated.

The vaccination status was unknown for six people, while eight had received a single dose and 14 people were reported to have died within 28 days of an Omicron diagnosis, ranging in age from 52-96 years old.

The number of people becoming infected with Omicron after having previously contracted Covid-19 has increased sharply.

Some 9.5 per cent of people with Omicron have had Covid-19 before, which the UKHSA said was likely to be a substantial underestimate, as many prior infections will have been asymptomatic and not picked up by the analysis.

(Reuters)

More For You

Imran Khan

The announcement comes as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, led by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, prepares for nationwide protests on August 5, marking two years since his arrest.

Getty Images

Pakistan announces new paramilitary force ahead of PTI protests

PAKISTAN has announced the creation of a new national paramilitary force, raising concerns among opposition parties and human rights groups about its possible use for political repression.

The new force will be called the Federal Constabulary and will be formed by restructuring an existing paramilitary unit currently operating along the northwestern border with Afghanistan, state minister for the Interior Talal Chaudhry said at a press conference in Faisalabad on Monday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Altaf Hussain

Hussain has been living in London since 1992 and holds British citizenship. (Photo credit: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Founder of Pakistan's MQM Altaf Hussain hospitalised in London

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain has been hospitalised in London after falling seriously ill, according to a party official.

Hussain, 71, was admitted to a hospital on Thursday due to a severe illness, where doctors carried out various tests, Mustafa Azizabadi, Convener of MQM’s Central Coordination Committee, said on social media.

Keep ReadingShow less
Communities face 'powder keg' of unrest risk, report warns

Social media emerged as a significant threat to community cohesion, the British Future report said. (Photo: Getty Images)

Communities face 'powder keg' of unrest risk, report warns

COMMUNITIES remain at risk of fresh unrest unless urgent action is taken to address deep-seated social tensions, a new report, published one year after last summer's riots, has cautioned.

Titled 'The State of Us' by British Future thinktank and the Belong Network, the report published on Tuesday (15) said successive governments have failed to take action and warned that a "powder keg" of unresolved grievances could easily ignite again without immediate intervention.

Keep ReadingShow less
Metropolitan police

The Metropolitan Police said the sentencing followed a 'comprehensive operation'. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Gang jailed for stealing £1 million jewellery from London’s Indian community

FOUR members of an organised crime network that stole more than £1 million worth of jewellery from Indian and South Asian families in London have been sentenced to a total of 17 years and one month in prison.

The Metropolitan Police said the sentencing followed a “comprehensive operation” that led to the imprisonment of Jerry O’Donnell, 33, Barney Maloney, Quey Adger, 23, and Patrick Ward, 43. All four were sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday after previously pleading guilty to burglary.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

After report of CAA warning on Boeing fuel switches, regulator issues clarification

FOUR weeks before an Air India Boeing 787-8 crashed after takeoff from Ahmedabad, media reports cited a safety notice issued by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) highlighting potential issues with fuel control switches on Boeing aircraft.

The CAA has now clarified that the safety notice in question — Safety Notice Number SN-2015/005 — was originally issued in 2015. The document was updated on 15 May 2025 only to change the contact email address. This routine administrative update caused the document to appear on the CAA website as if it were newly issued.

Keep ReadingShow less