London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

'Omicron is not mild ' in study focusing on children's toll

'Omicron is not mild ' in study focusing on children's toll

The Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus has been linked to more hospitalizations, severe complications and deaths of young children than previous strains of the virus, suggesting Omicron may not be as mild as initially thought, according to a study conducted by the University of Hong Kong and Princess Margaret Hospital.
Upon reviewing data on child hospitalizations, researchers found that cases were far more severe during Hong Kong's Omicron-fueled fifth wave.

A total of 1,147 children aged 11 and under were hospitalized due to Covid from February 5 to 28, with more than 80 percent of them aged five and under.

Omicron presented a greater need for intensive care, with 21 children - or 1.83 percent - admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit compared with only one in all of the city's previous outbreaks combined.

During the 22 months from the start of 2020 to November, 737 children aged 11 and under were hospitalized due to Covid - a far cry from the figures logged up during the fifth wave.

Omicron results in a higher number of seizures among unvaccinated children and targets the upper airways more than previous variants and influenza, researchers said in a preprint paper submitted to The Lancet on March 21.

"The intrinsic severity of Omicron BA.2 is not mild as evident by the fatality and severe complications among uninfected and unvaccinated children."

After a long run of keeping infection rates among the lowest in the world, Hong Kong was overrun with Omicron, which has been linked to some 7,500 deaths. The majority of the deaths were among elderly and unvaccinated residents.

One reason why some children are experiencing severe symptoms could be due to a lack of exposure to the coronavirus over the past two years, researchers said, adding children under 11 were only approved for vaccinations in February while those under three still aren't eligible.

"Vaccination should be rapidly implemented for children who are eligible, in particular for those under three years old," researchers said.

Among the 1,147 child-hospitalization cases, four died,including threewithout preexisting health concerns. Significantly, none of the three were vaccinated against the virus.

The fatality rate of Omicron during the February stage of the study was 0.35 percent for hospitalized children, higher than influenza at 0.05 percent. However, researchers conceded the figure is likely an overestimate because many children with mild symptoms were cared for at home.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
×