Omicron variant may impact lungs differently, studies say
Fox News
Recent studies suggest that the omicron variant of the coronavirus may be less severe than delta because it impacts the lungs in different ways.
"Hamster models from the University of Tokyo show that omicron poorly infects and spreads in the lung, and is less pathogenic compared to delta in a hamster model. Belgian researchers in Syrian hamsters see the same thing," he said. "NIH-funded studies that are ongoing right now in both mouse and hamsters confirm the lesser virulence in the animal model. And, studies here at the Vaccine Research Center at NIH, in the nonhuman primate model, are ongoing and will await results of that."
Fauci said that the data is still preliminary in many respects, but that "all indications point to a lesser severity of omicron versus delta."