European Medicines Agency: Omicron is less dangerous than delta vaccine, still effective in preventing severe illness and hospitalization

Xinhua News Agency, Brussels, January 11 (Reporter Ren Ke) The European Medicines Agency said on the 11th that according to the data obtained so far, the Omicron strain is only between one-third and half as dangerous as the delta strain. , the new crown vaccine is still effective in preventing severe illness and hospitalization caused by infection with the Omicron strain.

In a statement released on the same day, the European Medicines Agency said that although Omicron appears to be more contagious than other mutant strains, studies from South Africa, the United Kingdom and some EU countries have shown that infection with the Omicron strain The risk of later hospitalization is low. Based on these studies, the agency estimates that the Omicron strain is between one-third and half as dangerous as the delta strain.

The statement also said that some recently published findings suggest that the Covid-19 vaccine is less effective than other strains in preventing symptomatic infection caused by the Omicron strain, and that this effectiveness diminishes over time. . Therefore, more people who have been vaccinated against the new crown may become infected with the Omicron strain.

But these findings also show that the new crown vaccine is still effective in preventing severe illness and hospitalization caused by infection with the Omicron strain. The latest evidence, including real-world efficacy data, also suggests that people who get a booster shot of the vaccine are better protected.

In a statement, the European Medicines Agency said efforts should continue to increase vaccination rates and accelerate booster vaccinations.