Health experts still don't know if the omicron variant is causing milder COVID-19, but more indicators are emerging from South Africa. Doctors there say the patients they are seeing now aren't as ill as the ones who were infected with the delta variant.
— Average hospital stays for COVID-19 have been shorter this time - about 2.8 days compared to eight days.
In the meantime, scientists around the world are watching case counts and hospitalization rates, while testing to see how well current vaccines and treatments hold up. While delta is still the dominant coronavirus strain worldwide, omicron cases are popping up in dozens of countries, with South Africa the epicenter.
But the number of cases is climbing. South Africa confirmed 22,400 new cases on Thursday and 19,000 on Friday, up from about 200 per day a few weeks ago. The new surge has infected 90,000 people in the past month, Minister of Health Joe Phaahla said Friday.
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