Confirmed Cases Surge, Average Hospital Stay Shortens
Fauci "Initial Reports Encouraging... Caution Needed"
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Medical staff in South Africa, where the COVID-19 Omicron variant was first discovered, reviewed the initial symptoms of confirmed Omicron cases and reported that although the spread is more intense than the existing Delta variant, the fatality rate is not high. The number of severe cases recorded so far is very small compared to the number of infected patients, and most patients received treatment without respiratory support and were discharged. The international medical community expects that the fear of Omicron will largely subside based on the initial symptoms alone, but warns that vigilance must be maintained while observing the situation in other regions such as the United States and Europe.
On the 5th (local time), the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) released a report reviewing the initial infection symptoms in the Tshwane region of Gauteng Province, South Africa, where the Omicron variant was first discovered. According to the report, the spread of the Omicron variant was stronger than that of the Delta variant, but the number of hospitalized patients was lower than during the Delta variant spread, and the number of severe patients requiring respiratory treatment was also small.
According to SAMRC's data, from the 29th of last month to the 3rd of this month, a total of 9,929 COVID-19 confirmed cases were reported in the Tshwane region over five days. The daily confirmed cases in Tshwane were below 1,000, but surged past 3,000 on the 3rd of this month. Based on this data, SAMRC estimated that the infectiousness of the Omicron variant is stronger than that of the Delta variant.
However, SAMRC stated that the number of severe cases was mild. Between the 14th and 29th of last month, the number of hospitalized patients in general hospitals in the Tshwane region was only 166. Among these, a review conducted up to the 2nd on 42 patients showed that only 13 of the 42 patients received respiratory treatment. Of these, 9 patients without other underlying diseases received respiratory treatment due to severe COVID-19, and only 4 were transferred to intensive care units, according to SAMRC's data.
During this period, the average hospital stay was 2.8 days, significantly shorter than the 8.5 days during the previous Delta variant spread. SAMRC explained, "Although the sample size is still small and it is unclear how the situation will develop, based on the initial symptom reports, it appears not to be fatal."
The international medical community also evaluates the report's content as encouraging. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and an authority on infectious diseases, said in an interview with CNN on the same day, "The reports so far regarding the Omicron variant are encouraging," but warned, "However, we must be very cautious before concluding that it is less severe than the Delta variant or does not cause serious illness."
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