Two studies published in Britain on Wednesday show that infections with Omicron are less likely to result in hospitalization compared to the Delta variant.
The experts cautiously welcomed the studies, which showed that the new strain could still lead to more severe cases even if the results were milder.
Jim McMenamin, a co-author of the Scottish research, told reporters on a call that they are showing a reduced risk of hospitalizations because of the early observations.
The Scottish paper looked at Covid cases in November and December and grouped them by Delta against those caused by Omicron.
It found that Omicron was associated with a two-thirds reduction in the risk of Covid-19 hospitalization when compared to Delta.
The study was small and there were no people under the age of 60 hospitalized, but the authors adjusted for these limitations using statistical methods.
The second paper from England found that there was a reduction in hospital stays for Omicron compared to Delta, with a 40-45 percent reduction in hospitalizations lasting one night or longer.
The Scottish study only looked at admissions, so this may account for some of the difference seen.
The risk of infections remains high despite the reduced risk of hospitalization with the Omicron variant.
The vaccine continues to offer the best protection against infections with the addition of the booster dose.
The studies have not been peer reviewed, but they add to the evidence about Omicron.
It's not clear whether the decreased rate of severe cases seen with Omicron is because of characteristics of the variant, or whether it appears milder because it is coming up against populations with greater immunity from prior infections.
The professor of pharmaceutical medicine at King's College London, who was not involved in the research, said: "This news does not detract from the extraordinary spread of this variant across the population, and the fact that even a small proportion of people needing hospital care for COVID may."
Agence France-Presse.
