Along_the_Wire It is. There are (apparently) some epidemiological reasons why the impact may be milder in South Africa as well - something about the timing of their Delta wave versus ours. Also worth noting the South Africa is coming out of Spring into Summer. Outdoor socialising / ventilated indoor venues aren’t just feasible, they’re the norm, and as a result ‘safe’ socialising and keeping distance are a whole lot easier.
Flip side of that is that the UK has a MUCH higher first and second dose vaccination rate, so if there does continue to be some protection against severe illness, hospitalisation and death from these jabs against Omicron (specifics yet to be proven), then that should stand us in good stead.
From what I’m reading, the UK should have an answer to the question, “How big a deal is Omicron?” in the week between Christmas and New Year, or perhaps the first week of January. Until then, it’s pretty much conjecture based on incomplete data. We’re not alone in the UK though - Denmark have similar vaccination rates to us, and are seeing similar spikes in Omicron cases on a per capita of population basis. Also like us, there’s not much strong evidence (yet) of the link between infection and serious illness/death etc…
