Data | What does initial data about the Omicron variant show?

The number of hospitalisations in 20 days since the Omicron variant was discovered was relatively lower than the pace observed during the Delta wave in Gauteng in South Africa

While the Delta variant of COVID-19 is still the dominant strain globally, threatens to pose more significant problems. A comparison of infection rates in , considered the epicentre of the new strain, shows that the Omicron variant spreads faster than the Delta and Beta variants. However, initial data from the province also indicate that the Omicron variant does not cause more severe disease. The number of hospital admissions and patients in the ICU with this variant of COVID-19 was fewer compared to that of the Delta wave. However, these are still early days.

The graph shows the % share of various variants in the Gauteng province of South Africa among the samples sequenced. Over 96% of all samples sequenced as of Friday, December 10 were of the Omicron variant. Between October 2020 and April 2021, Beta was the dominant variant, and between July 2021 and November 2021, Delta was the dominant one. The number of infections in the Gauteng province jumped from 150 to 11,500 in just over 20 days after the Omicron variant was discovered.