Japanese Expert: "Omicron Closer to Influenza than Delta"

by Jo Youjin

Published 07 Jan.2022 09:25(KST)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] A Japanese expert has stated that the new COVID-19 variant Omicron is closer to the common cold (influenza) than the existing Delta variant.

According to the Asahi Shimbun on the 7th, this report was made at an expert meeting held on the 5th in Okinawa Prefecture, where Omicron infections are rapidly increasing.

Professor Jiro Fujita of Ryukyu University, who chaired the meeting, prefaced that the actual situation is unknown because Omicron cases are still absolutely few, then based on symptoms of patients hospitalized at Ryukyu University Hospital, expressed the view that “In my sense, it is a different disease from the Delta variant. It is closer to influenza.”

According to the Okinawa Prefecture report, as of the end of last year, the proportion of Omicron confirmed cases among local infections exceeded 90%, showing that the Delta variant was rapidly replaced by Omicron.

Data collected over the month until the 1st showed that among 50 Omicron-infected patients, 48 were symptomatic. Among symptoms, fever was the most common with 36 cases, followed by cough (29), general fatigue (25), and sore throat (22).

Olfactory or gustatory disorders, which are prominent symptoms in COVID-19 patients, were found in only one case. It was identified that 66% of all infected individuals had received two doses of the vaccine.

Meanwhile, at this meeting, doctors who treated Omicron patients reportedly said that pneumonia symptoms, which had appeared in COVID-19 patients so far, were absent, and they were unsure how to interpret this.

Concerns were also raised that the spread of Omicron could have a significant impact on healthcare provision and social infrastructure, as medical staff at hospitals treating highly transmissible Omicron patients are increasingly taking leave due to fears of personal or family infection.