USA study: Adults and children with the Omicron variant have milder COVID-19

Adults and children with the Omicron variant are less sick compared to the same group with Delta COVID-19.

The article, COVID-19 in children under five years old with Omicron is mild compared to the Delta variant, was posted yesterday. The same authors from Case Western Reserve University have another paper comparing the clinical outcomes for adults and children infected with the Omicron and Delta variant in the US.

The investigation used a nationwide database in the US. It included more than half a million patients who had COVID-19 for the first time—studying first-time infections rules out the effects of natural immunity that may introduce bias and confound the results. The investigators want to compare the clinical outcomes of the Omicron and Delta variants on matched groups of people. The vaccination status of both groups was the same.

Briefly, the patients with the Omicron variant had a lower risk of hospitalization, need for intensive care admission, and mechanical ventilation than the Delta patients.

Adults: Omicron vs. Delta

The 3-day risks from the Emergent Omicron cohort for Emergency Department visit was less than one-third of that for the Delta variant (4.55% vs 15.22%);

for ICU admission, it was one third of that for the Delta variant (0.26% vs 0.78%);

for mechanical ventilation, it was one-sixth of that for the Delta variant (0.07% vs 0.43%).

ED visit: 4.55% vs. 15.22% (risk ratio or RR: 0.30, 95% CI: 0.28-0.33).
Hospitalization: 1.75% vs. 3.95% (RR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.38-0.52].
ICU admission: 0.26% vs. 0.78% (RR: 0.33, 95% CI:0.23-0.48)
Mechanical ventilation: 0.07% vs. 0.43% (RR: 0.16, 95% CI: 0.08-0.32).

Children (less than 18 years old)

There is a lower risk for emergency room visits and hospitalization for the two pediatric groups (aged 5-11 years and 12-17 years), though differences were insignificant for hospitalization.

That may be due to the small number of 5–11-year-old and 12–17-year-old who were hospitalized. (The number of groups has to achieve a certain number to make it more meaningful or statistically significant)

With regards to deaths in adults and children, the study said,

Mortality risks were not reported in this study because so few deaths occurred within 3 days of infection in both cohorts: 23 (0.16%) vs. 30 (0.21%) among 14,040 patients in the matched Emergent Omicron and Delta cohorts.

Longer follow-up times are needed to accurately estimate mortality risk.

The difference between the Omicron and Delta groups could not be due to the COVID vaccinations since the vaccination status of both groups was the same.

What explains the results?

Researches have shown that antibodies from COVID vaccinations wane after several months.

But the T cells are still protective. People who recovered from COVID-19 have effective T-cells against the Omicron. All subjects in this study did not have COVID before, but cross-immunity from prior seasonal coronavirus infections are protective. CD4+ Cross-Reactivity between Seasonal Coronavirus Colds and COVID-19

Overall, adults and children with the Omicron variant have a milder disease than those with the Delta variant. The findings were consistent with the experience in South Africa [2], Scotland [3], and England [4].

I talked about South Africa at a Higher number of COVID-19 cases but no death rate changes. The South African omicron experience

The various mutations in the Omicron allowed it to be more infectious. Some changes made it difficult for the virus to infect the lung cells, which is why fewer people develop pneumonia. There is less need for mechanical ventilation. Multinational study shows why the Omicron variant has low fatality and high infectivity.

In children, the results are also consistent with prior variants of the SARS-CoV-2. Children 5-11 Years Old have Mild COVID-19 and COVID-19 in children 0-17 years old have a low risk of death and hospitalization.

The excellent news is Omicron infections elicit neutralizing antibodies against variants of concern like the Delta, Alpha, Beta, and the Wuhan strain.

The hospitalization numbers could be lower

Hospitals in the US still refuse to use Ivermectin and Hyxychloroquine and other over-the-counter supplements like Vitamin D3, Vitamin C, Quercetin, and Zinc. The early use could have lowered the number of emergency room visits, hospitalization, and COVID-19 deaths.

Nasal rinse and deep gargle stop viral respiratory infections in their tracts. It works against any upper respiratory viruses.

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References:

Wang et al. Comparison of outcomes from COVID infection in pediatric and adult patients before and after the emergence of Omicron. medRxiv 2021.12.30.21268495
Wolter N, et al. Early assessment of the clinical severity of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in South Africa [Internet]. bioRxiv. 2021
Sheikh, A, Kerr, S, Woolhouse, M, McMenamin, J & Robertson, C 2021 ‘Severity of Omicron variant of concern and vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease: national cohort with nested test negative design study in Scotland’. 2021
Report 50 – Hospitalisation risk for Omicron cases in England [Internet].

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