Thread by @ScienceUpFirst

Don’t underestimate “mild” - COVID-19 isn’t a chicken wing 🍗

There’s confusion around the severity of Omicron, let’s get into it 👇

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#ScienceUpFirst

Good news: there is evidence of less lung damage (1,2,3); and lower rates of hospitalization and death (4).

But, what’s mild for one can be severe for others. Plus, the number of Long COVID cases related to Omicron are not yet captured.

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#ScienceUpFirst

The bad news: Omicron is more transmissible than all previous variants (5).

In Canada, we’ve seen the highest number of cases reported so far in the pandemic (and with limited testing, these are an underestimate) (6).

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#ScienceUpFirst

If Omicron is 1/2 as severe, but 2x as many people are infected, then the community experiences the same risk.

We’re seeing hospital and ICU cases growing in Canada (7,8). And sadly, record # of kids hospitalized in the US and parts of Canada (9, 10).

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#ScienceUpFirst

Here's some hopeful news. Though infection rates are similar between vaxxed and unvaxxed, the rates of hospitalization and ICU are significantly lower among the vaccinated (11,12). Protection is even stronger with 3 doses (13).

https://twitter.com/heysciencesam/status/1478015489687367690?s=20

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#ScienceUpFirst

Conclusion: Omicron is not “mild”.

We must take the risk seriously and layer up our protections: vaccines, ventilation, masks, etc.

Questions? We are here to help. Leave us a reply or send us a DM.

References: tinyurl.com/SUFOmicronMild

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