The New York Times one of the most well respected newspapers covers Omicron and the Coronovirus in such a disciplined and honest manner. While other news organizations may engage in intense fear mongering to increase their viewership or readership the NY Times strikes me as an organization that does so unbiasedly.
From their morning newsletter they said the following:
Some evidence even suggests Omicron is less severe. A new study from Hong Kong, for example, found that Omicron replicated itself less efficiently than Delta inside the lungs, which could make it less likely to cause acute symptoms. But many scientists say it is too soon to be confident. |
Either way, the crucial question for most people is not whether Omicron is less severe than earlier versions of the virus; the question is whether Omicron is more severe. So far, the answer is no. |
If that continues to be true, it will mean that Omicron — like earlier variants — presents only a very small risk of serious illness to most vaccinated people. It is the kind of risk that people accept every day without reordering their lives, not so different from the chances of hospitalization or death from the flu or a car crash. |
Unfortunately, there are some vaccinated people for whom any Covid case remains a threat. Those whose health is already vulnerable — like the elderly, people undergoing cancer treatments, people who have received organ transplants and some other groups — can become extremely ill from a Covid case that is mild in a technical sense. Their bodies are weak enough that any infection can cause major problems. It’s the same reason that the seasonal flu kills tens of thousands of Americans annually. |
These are the people, in addition to the unvaccinated, who need the most attention now that Omicron has arrived.
So the next month will be telling as to what the future may hold. |
