On Tuesday, an Israeli hospital verified the country’s first known death caused by Omicron, the latest form of SARS-CoV-2 that has reintroduced 2020-style restrictions around the world. With the addition of Israel, three nations have now reported fatalities from Omicron, a version of the virus that is spreading faster than Delta but causes a milder disease.
Here’s everything you need to know about Omicron deaths in three different countries.
The patient, according to the Israeli hospital where the death was reported, was a man in his sixties with a variety of major pre-existing diseases. “His morbidity was primarily due to pre-existing illnesses, not a coronavirus-related respiratory infection,” the hospital noted.
On Monday, the first Omicron death in the United States was registered. The patient was assumed to be unvaccinated and was between the ages of 50 and 60.
Twelve people infected with the Omicron variety have died in the United Kingdom, according to reports. The new type is spreading quicker in the UK, and the number of hospitalizations is also rising. New limitations are also on the way ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays.
On November 24, South Africa announced the first case of Omicron. Within weeks, the variation had spread to as many countries as possible. The variety is spreading quicker than Delta, which triggered the second wave of the pandemic, but it is not producing severe sickness, according to experts. Almost many Omicron patients have no or minor symptoms all around the world.
The virus does not impact the lungs, according to scientists, who believe that the variety multiplies in the throat, causing itchy throat as a symptom. There had been no death attributable to Omicron for weeks. People over the age of 50 with comorbidities are at a higher risk, according to the deaths recorded from these three nations, however specifics of all instances are unknown. Even more so if they haven’t been vaccinated. Although Omicron has been known to evade immunization, doctors believe that current vaccines can still protect against the severity of Covid induced by Omicron to some extent.