Comparing COVID-19 Mortality Rates in the Elderly... Omicron More Dangerous Than Delta

COVID-19 Antibody Formation Rate Low Among Elderly Aged 65 and Over

Recently, deaths from COVID-19 infections among Americans aged 65 and older have increased, with some analysts attributing this to the Omicron variant.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Wooseok] Recently, as deaths from COVID-19 infections among Americans aged 65 and older have increased, some analyses suggest that this is due to the Omicron variant. The fatality rate of the Omicron variant among the elderly is higher than that of the Delta variant, which was prevalent last summer.

According to a report by The New York Times (NYT) on the 31st of last month (local time), during the Delta variant outbreak in August 2021, the number of COVID-19 deaths among those aged 65 and older was 17 per 100,000 people, but in January 2022, this surged to 38. January of this year was the period when the Omicron variant was prevalent.

Additionally, when comparing the number of elderly deaths during the six months of the Delta variant outbreak and the four months of the Omicron variant outbreak, the figures were found to be similar.

However, among those aged 64 and younger, the fatality rate of the Omicron variant was only about 69% of that of the Delta variant.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed in February that among those aged 65 and older, despite completing the second dose of vaccination, the COVID-19 antibody formation rate was only in the 30% range, about half that of people in their 20s to 40s.

During the Omicron variant outbreak in January and February, most of the deaths were confirmed to be among unvaccinated individuals. When looking at deaths per 100,000 people, those who had received at least one vaccine dose numbered 24, those who had received a booster shot (third dose) numbered 7, but unvaccinated individuals numbered 156.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.