New data from South Africa and Europe hint that Omicron cases are poised to explode in the U.S., where the vast majority of the population isn't well protected against infection. But the variant is less likely to lead to hospitalization in adults than the original version. During the current Omicron wave, the two-dose regimen was 70% effective against severe disease requiring hospital admission. They found children had a 20% higher risk of hospital admission than they did from previous variants. European countries have also been reporting that the variant is spreading rapidly, with cases doubling every two to three days.
