Covid-19: why hopes the Omicron variant will prove less deadly may be premature

Early reports that appeared to support the common belief that viruses become less virulent over time may be hasty, scientists warn

No deaths have yet been recorded from the strain, but experts warn that its ability to spread rapidly does not necessarily mean it has become less dangerous

Reading Time:5 minutes

Published: 11:00pm, 6 Dec 2021Updated: 9:12am, 7 Dec 2021

Early reports that patients infected by the Omicron variant of Covid-19 had mild symptoms raised hopes that the virus will become less virulent in future.

That seems to fit with a commonly held belief that pathogens will cause fewer deaths or serious illnesses over time as they evolve to do less harm to the host to ensure they can continue to replicate.

But scientists have warned that even if Omicron has evolved to spread more quickly than the Delta variant – which was itself highly transmissible – it does not necessarily mean it will become less deadly in the process and should not be treated lightly until we have more information.

As of Saturday, the World Health Organization said no deaths from Omicron had been recorded. But it has urged caution about comments by two health experts from South Africa, where the variant was first detected, that patients have shown mild symptoms.

The WHO said it could take weeks to determine whether it caused severe illnesses and preliminary studies suggest it is three times more likely to reinfect people compared with earlier strains such as Beta and Delta.

06:14

Why is the Omicron variant so concerning? Virologist warns Covid strain could ‘wreak havoc’ in HK

A large number of people infected with Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, have shown no symptoms or very mild ones.

Covid-19: why hopes the Omicron variant will prove less deadly may be premature

Early reports that appeared to support the common belief that viruses become less virulent over time may be hasty, scientists warn No deaths have yet been recorded from the strain, but experts warn that its ability to spread rapidly does not necessarily mean it has become less dangerous

Early reports that appeared to support the common belief that viruses become less virulent over time may be hasty, scientists warn

No deaths have yet been recorded from the strain, but experts warn that its ability to spread rapidly does not necessarily mean it has become less dangerous