Omicron appears to be less deadly than Delta version

Washington : United States health officials have claimed that even though Omicron variant of coronavirus is spreading fast across the world, it appears to be less deadly than the Delta variant.

President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, Dr Anthony Fauci, told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday that scientist’s need more information before drawing conclusions about Omicron's severity.

Studying the situation in South Africa, where Omicron cases were reported first, the hospitalization rate has not increased alarmingly.

“Thus far, it does not look like there's a great degree of severity to it,” Fauci said. “But we have really got to be careful before we make any determinations that it is less severe or it really doesn't cause any severe illness, comparable to delta."                  

Fauci also mentioned that Joe Biden's administration is considering the option to lift the travel ban against non-citizens entering the United States from several African countries. They were imposed as the omicron variant exploded in the region, but UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has blasted such measures as “travel apartheid."

“Hopefully we'll be able to lift that ban in a quite reasonable period of time,” Fauci said. “We all feel very badly about the hardship that has been put on not only on South Africa but the other African countries."     

Even though Omicron cases have been reported in the United States, Delta variant stays dominant over patients requiring hospitalization for treatment.