A study of South Africa’s recent COVID-19 wave found that people infected with the omicron variant were 80% less likely to be hospitalized than people who were infected with different strains.

However, once admitted to the hospital, the risk of severe disease from omicron is similar to the risk associated with other variants.

The study was conducted by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases. It examined data on omicron infections from October 1st through November 30th and is yet to be peer-reviewed.

Reuters reports:

“Compellingly, together our data really suggest a positive story of a reduced severity of Omicron compared to other variants,” said Professor Cheryl Cohen of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), one of the study’s authors.

She said this was further reinforced by surveillance data showing significantly lower hospitalisations and deaths in South Africa’s current Omicron-driven wave of infections than in previous waves, although case numbers were much higher.

The study also found that while omicron hospitalizations in October and November produced similar outcomes to other COVID-19 hospitalizations during the same time period, the risk of severe disease is much lower than it was in the spring. That finding suggests that widespread vaccinations – or natural immunity through previous infections – have curbed the effects of COVID-19 and that doctors have become better at treating patients who need special care.