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Comment by alisonkisk | Hacker News Reader

So there are actual stats on hospitalizations and deaths.

Omicron is less severe, but also more widespread, so the overall effect is as bad as delta and alpha.

I’m not sure why you think that or what data you are looking at, but current daily reported case count is 3x the same time last year (250k vs 800k) while reported deaths are half (4K vs 1.6k).

But hospitalizations are higher than last year's winter peak, so hospitals are still slammed (not everywhere, but in a lot of places).

Also there's been a lot of doctors and nurses that have left the profession this past year from burnout (and not enough people champing at the bit to take their place...for obvious reasons) so many places were short-staffed to begin with.

Isn't that what they said? Less severe, more widespread.

> so the overall effect is as bad as delta and alpha

I took the overall effect to mean deaths. Based on CDC statements, it seems like they are finally trying to divide hospitalized “from” vs. “with”. I’d expect a more contagious variant to show up more in hospitals for people who have come for unrelated reasons.

Omicron does seems to be less severe. But don't forget deaths are a lagging indicator. They usually trail case counts by a few weeks.

One should also caveat here that unvaccinated are far and above the ones ending up hospitalized, and dying, with Omicron. Those who are vaccinated and hospitalized very often have other underlying conditions that Omicron is exacerbating.

Everyone else who is vaccinated is just getting sick, like a strong flu or cold.

GET VACCINATED. At this point, it's the only way this pandemic will end.

Get vaccinated yes, but that's not how the pandemic will end. It will end when most people have had this thing. Essentially it's probably over now but the media is going to hold on to it for a little while longer.

I didn't know the unvaccinated were dying of Omicron.

The things you learn on hacker news.

Not defending the original comment because no source was provided, but I didn't know this was up for debate. It stands to reason. Now, how much more unvax vs vax are dying could be debated, but to say they are dying at the same rate would be to claim that the vaccine has no affect whatsoever.

I would take that bet.

Not according to the data I saw, and for sure not in the countries I spend most of my time...

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