Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Jul 23, 2025

'Omicron is not mild ' in study focusing on children's toll

'Omicron is not mild ' in study focusing on children's toll

The Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus has been linked to more hospitalizations, severe complications and deaths of young children than previous strains of the virus, suggesting Omicron may not be as mild as initially thought, according to a study conducted by the University of Hong Kong and Princess Margaret Hospital.
Upon reviewing data on child hospitalizations, researchers found that cases were far more severe during Hong Kong's Omicron-fueled fifth wave.

A total of 1,147 children aged 11 and under were hospitalized due to Covid from February 5 to 28, with more than 80 percent of them aged five and under.

Omicron presented a greater need for intensive care, with 21 children - or 1.83 percent - admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit compared with only one in all of the city's previous outbreaks combined.

During the 22 months from the start of 2020 to November, 737 children aged 11 and under were hospitalized due to Covid - a far cry from the figures logged up during the fifth wave.

Omicron results in a higher number of seizures among unvaccinated children and targets the upper airways more than previous variants and influenza, researchers said in a preprint paper submitted to The Lancet on March 21.

"The intrinsic severity of Omicron BA.2 is not mild as evident by the fatality and severe complications among uninfected and unvaccinated children."

After a long run of keeping infection rates among the lowest in the world, Hong Kong was overrun with Omicron, which has been linked to some 7,500 deaths. The majority of the deaths were among elderly and unvaccinated residents.

One reason why some children are experiencing severe symptoms could be due to a lack of exposure to the coronavirus over the past two years, researchers said, adding children under 11 were only approved for vaccinations in February while those under three still aren't eligible.

"Vaccination should be rapidly implemented for children who are eligible, in particular for those under three years old," researchers said.

Among the 1,147 child-hospitalization cases, four died,including threewithout preexisting health concerns. Significantly, none of the three were vaccinated against the virus.

The fatality rate of Omicron during the February stage of the study was 0.35 percent for hospitalized children, higher than influenza at 0.05 percent. However, researchers conceded the figure is likely an overestimate because many children with mild symptoms were cared for at home.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×