January 10, 2022
Why Omicron COVID-19 cases are usually less severe than Delta cases
Healthline, Jan. 10, 2022
Why Omicron COVID-19 cases are usually less severe than Delta cases
Dr. Shruti K. Gohil, an associate medical director of epidemiology & infection prevention, infectious diseases at the University of California Irvine, said that there may be a simple explanation for the less serious cases. “The Omicron variant is seven times more efficient in replicating in the upper airways” than previous variants of the coronavirus, Gohil told Healthline. However, the Omicron variant tends to remain in the upper respiratory system rather than replicating in the lungs. “That’s what makes it tremendously contagious but also less severe,” Gohil said.