Top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said there was still a danger of a surge in hospitalization due to a large number of coronavirus cases even as early data suggests the Omicron COVID-19 variant is less severe.
The Omicron coronavirus variant dampened New Year festivities around much of the world, with Paris canceling its fireworks show, London relegating its to television, and New York City scaling down its famous ball drop celebration in Times Square.
The risk of hospitalization with the Omicron variant of coronavirus is about one-third that of the Delta variant, according to British analysis of more than a million cases of both types in recent weeks.
British scientists will be studying whether higher doses of a cheap and widely used steroid called dexamethasone could work better for patients with severe COVID-19 compared to the standard low doses, they said on December 30/
Coronavirus deaths in Eastern Europe topped 1 million on December 30, according to a Reuters tally, as the Omicron variant threatened to batter the region.
Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE’s COVID-19 vaccine caused mostly mild side effects in children aged 5 to 11 years, according to data published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on December 30.
U.S. health experts on December 30 urged Americans to prepare for severe disruptions in coming weeks as the rising wave of COVID-19 cases led by the Omicron variant threatened hospitals, schools and other sectors impacting their daily lives.
Covid-19 will stifle New Year celebrations around the world for the second year running on December 31, with governments in many countries hurriedly scaling back festivities in an effort to contain rampant contagion.
A key part of the immune system’s second-line defense – its T cells – are highly effective at recognizing and attacking the Omicron variant, thereby preventing most infections from progressing to critical illness, a new study shows. New findings also suggest the odds that vaccinated people will catch the virus if a household member becomes infected are nearly three to four times higher with Omicron than with Delta, but booster doses reduce that risk.
Global COVID-19 infections hit a record high over the past seven-day period, Reuters data showed on December 29, as the Omicron variant raced out of control and governments tried to contain its spread without paralyzing fragile economies.
