South African Study Says Omicron Variant is Milder but More Resistant to Vaccines
AllSides Summary
According to analysis of data from South Africa, the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is more mild and less likely to lead to hospitalization, but is also more resistant to vaccines.
The analysis showed that individuals who received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine were roughly 70% protected against hospitalization if infected with the Omicron variant. For the Delta variant, individuals with the same vaccine were 90% protected against hospitalization. The analysis also found a drop in the Pfizer vaccine’s effectiveness in preventing infection against Omicron, from 80% during the Delta variant wave to roughly 33% during Omicron's rise. While the findings are preliminary and not yet peer-reviewed, they seem to suggest that the Omicron variant is more easily transmitted. The rate of new COVID-19 cases in South Africa has risen four-fold in the past two weeks, but the death rate has remained roughly the same. As of Tuesday, only one death has been attributed to Omicron worldwide.
Outlets across the spectrum covered the analysis prominently.
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From the Right
Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine Less Protective Against Hospitalization After Omicron Emerged: Study
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has been less effective in protecting against hospitalization following the emergency of the Omicron virus variant, according to a new study of real-world data from South Africa.
The protection from the vaccine’s primary two-dose regimen has dropped to about 70 percent in recent weeks, according to Discovery Health, the largest private health insurance company in the country.
That was down from 93 percent when the Delta was the dominant variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus in the country, Discovery scientists said Tuesday. The CCP virus causes COVID-19.
The protection against...
From the Left
Data indicate omicron is milder, better at evading vaccines
The omicron variant appears to cause less severe disease than previous versions of the coronavirus, and the Pfizer vaccine seems to offer less defense against infection from it but still good protection from hospitalization, according to an analysis of data from South Africa, where the new variant is driving a surge in infections.
While the findings released Tuesday are preliminary and have not been peer-reviewed — the gold standard in scientific research — they line up with other early data about omicron’s behavior, including that it seems to be more easily...
From the Left
Omicron appears more resistant to Covid vaccines but causing less severe illness in South Africa, major real-world study finds 
The first major real-world study of the omicron Covid-19 variant found that it appeared to cause less severe illness in South Africa, where it was first discovered last month, but that two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine offer reduced protection against it.
The analysis, released Tuesday by the country's largest healthcare administrator, found that on average 29 percent fewer people were being admitted to hospital in the region than previously with the delta variant. However, the study also found that two Pfizer jabs gave 70 percent protection against hospitalization from the new variant, compared with 90...
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