delta were less prevalent in the South Africa cases, including “no loss of taste or smell” and “less shortness of breath,” said Chin-Hong, referring to anecdotal reports on omicron cases from Dr. Angelique Coetzee, a private practitioner and chair of the South African Medical Association.
What’s more, in the first glimpse of hospitalized patients with omicron emerging from South Africa, hospitalizations have not increased dramatically, Chin-Hong said.
“And those who have been admitted to the hospital have not been very ill,” he said. “Most have been in the general wards, not in the ICU, and most have not required oxygen. Admitted omicron patients have been hospitalized for a much shorter period than delta or previous other variants.”
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Where has Omicron been Detected in the United States
CDC is working with state and local public health officials to monitor the spread of Omicron. This map shows the states that have detected at least one case of COVID-19 illness caused by the Omicron variant. Omicron will be included in variant surveillance data on CDC’s COVID Data Tracker when it can be reliably estimated at a low frequency.