The link on severity of Omicron infections (https://www.nrk.no/urix/tall-fra-danmark_-omikron-forer-til-like-mange-innleggelser-som-delta-1.15769977) raises an interesting question. They deduce the severity by comparing the number of hospitalisations from Omicron with the spread of the variant 5 to 6 days prior to hospitalisation, which is the correct thing to do if we assume it takes 5 days from infection to developing symptoms severe enough to be admitted to the hospital. My two questions:
Are other news sources doing this consistently as well? If they are comparing hospitalisations today with case numbers today that gives the wrong answer by approximately two doubling times, underestimating severity.
Is there a reason to believe Omicron may develop symptoms slower/faster than older variants, so that we need to correct these figures?
Since the doubling time of Omicron is so short this has serious knock-on effects.
As an aside, the link does not claim anywhere the patients were admitted for Omicron, just that they were admitted, and diagnosed with Omicron. So for now I’m withholding updating on this.
On the other hand, everyone seems to have given up on tracking full recoveries, so maybe the two things cancel one another out, so we end up just using the most naive approach possible?
The link on severity of Omicron infections (https://www.nrk.no/urix/tall-fra-danmark_-omikron-forer-til-like-mange-innleggelser-som-delta-1.15769977) raises an interesting question. They deduce the severity by comparing the number of hospitalisations from Omicron with the spread of the variant 5 to 6 days prior to hospitalisation, which is the correct thing to do if we assume it takes 5 days from infection to developing symptoms severe enough to be admitted to the hospital. My two questions:
Are other news sources doing this consistently as well? If they are comparing hospitalisations today with case numbers today that gives the wrong answer by approximately two doubling times, underestimating severity.
Is there a reason to believe Omicron may develop symptoms slower/faster than older variants, so that we need to correct these figures?
Since the doubling time of Omicron is so short this has serious knock-on effects.
As an aside, the link does not claim anywhere the patients were admitted for Omicron, just that they were admitted, and diagnosed with Omicron. So for now I’m withholding updating on this.
On the other hand, everyone seems to have given up on tracking full recoveries, so maybe the two things cancel one another out, so we end up just using the most naive approach possible?