A study from Canada adds to the growing body of knowledge that suggest the Omicron COVID-19 variant is much less severe compared to the Delta variant—researchers found the risk of intensive care unit admission or death is 83 percent lower among cases of Omicron compared to Delta. The study, published on medRxiv ahead of peer review and updated on Jan. 2, found the overall risk of hospitalization was 65 percent lower for Omicron compared to Delta. “Our results align with findings from South Africa, Scotland, and England, all of which have demonstrated substantial decreases in risk of hospitalization associated with Omicron,” the authors wrote. The Omicron COVID-19 strain “appears to demonstrate lower disease severity for both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals,” but while this is the case, “the absolute number of hospitalizations and impact on the healthcare system is likely to be significant due to the large number of Omicron infections.” …