The Omicron variant continued to cause record-breaking COVID-19 case numbers in several provinces Thursday, but a new study from Ontario suggested those infected with the variant are significantly less likely to face hospitalization or death compared to those with Delta. In the study, Public Health Ontario compared Omicron cases with symptoms that emerged between Nov. 22 and Dec. 17 with Delta cases and found that, after adjusting for vaccination status and region, the risk of hospitalization or death was 54 percent lower with Omicron. The agency said Omicron appears to be the first dominant variant to show a decline in severity but warned that, due to its higher transmissibility, “the absolute number of hospitalizations and impact on the health-care system is likely to be significant, despite possible reduced severity.” Provinces have seen surging case counts as a result of Omicron. Ontario and Quebec both hit records for new infections Thursday. …