{"id":12501,"date":"2022-01-08T13:42:30","date_gmt":"2022-01-08T18:42:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/esterlund.com\/blog\/?p=12501"},"modified":"2022-01-08T13:42:30","modified_gmt":"2022-01-08T18:42:30","slug":"bombshell-new-omicron-study-suggests-pandemic-phase-is-over","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esterlund.com\/blog\/bombshell-new-omicron-study-suggests-pandemic-phase-is-over\/","title":{"rendered":"Bombshell New Omicron Study Suggests Pandemic Phase Is Over"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Source: Bombshell New Omicron Study Suggests Pandemic Phase Is Over<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

BY\u00a0JAMES SAMSON<\/a><\/span>
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A bombshell study out of South Africa, which is currently the epicenter of the world\u2019s omicron surge, has indicated that the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic may be ending.<\/p>\n

Bloomberg reported<\/a> that a\u00a0study of patients infected with COVID-19 at a large hospital in the South African city where the first outbreak of the omicron variant was discovered found that while this variant moved at an\u00a0\u201cunprecedented speed,\u201d it caused much milder illness than earlier strains.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf this pattern continues and is repeated globally, we are likely to see a complete decoupling of case and death rates,\u201d the researchers said, adding that this suggests \u201comicron may be a harbinger of the end of the epidemic phase of the Covid pandemic, ushering in its endemic phase.\u201d<\/p>\n

The study was carried out at the\u00a0Steve Biko Academic Hospital Complex, and it looked at 466 patients from the current wave and 3,976 from previous bouts of infection. One of the researchers who worked on the study was Fareed Abdullah, a director at the council and an infectious disease doctor at the hospital.<\/p>\n

Since South Africa is the first country to have a major omicron outbreak, it is being closely watched to see how this variant develops. Researchers have warned the comparatively young age of the country\u2019s population and those hospitalized could mask how severe the disease caused by the variant really is, however.<\/p>\n

The study found that the rate of admissions climbed rapidly but then began to decline within 33 days of the first analysis. In fact, a snapshot of those admitted to the hospital on December 14 and 15 found that nearly two-thirds of those infected with COVID-19 had been admitted for other reasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis phenomenon has not been observed to this extent before in the Steve Biko Academic Hospital Complex or anywhere in South Africa,\u201d the study said, going on to say that it \u201cmost likely reflects high levels of asymptomatic disease in the community with omicron infection.\u201d<\/p>\n

On top of that, the study also found that:<\/p>\n