How virulent is the Omicron variant? How is it treated?

With the weakening of the pathogenicity of the Omicron variant, the popularization of vaccination, and the accumulation of experience in prevention and control, China's epidemic prevention and control is facing new situations and new tasks
.
Judging from the recent first-line treatment, is the rate of severe disease caused by the Omicron variant high? How can elderly people and patients with underlying diseases infected with the Omicron variant be treated at present? Tong Zhaohui, a respiratory critical care expert organized by the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council, vice president of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, and director of Beijing Institute of Respiratory Diseases, gave professional answers
.

Q: In terms of recent frontline treatment, is the rate of severe disease caused by the Omicron variant high?

A: With the mutation of the virus, as well as the popularization of vaccination and the accumulation of experience in prevention and control, the hospitalization, severe disease rate and case fatality rate caused by Omicron are all greatly reduced
.
From the current national cases, after infection with the Omicron variant, the above respiratory symptoms are the mainstay, mainly manifested as throat discomfort, cough, etc
.
Asymptomatic and mild account for more than 90%, the common form (presenting pneumonia symptoms) is rare, and the proportion of severe disease (requiring high-flow oxygen therapy or receiving noninvasive, invasive ventilation) is even smaller
.

This is very different
from the symptoms caused by the original strain of the new coronavirus during the defense of Wuhan.
At that time, there were more severe patients, and some young and middle-aged patients would also have white lungs and acute respiratory failure
.
However, during the current round of the epidemic, from the treatment of designated hospitals in Beijing, there are only a few cases of patients who have to be intubated on a ventilator due to new crown pneumonia
.

Q: How are elderly people infected with the Omicron variant and patients with underlying diseases currently treated?

Answer: The elderly, patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases and other underlying diseases, tumor patients undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy, pregnant women in the third trimester, etc.
, have low immunity and can be classified as vulnerable groups
.
Judging from the current treatment situation, most of them were admitted to designated hospitals after being infected with the new crown virus, most of them because of primary diseases, but they could not be admitted to ordinary hospitals
because of nucleic acid positivity.
The symptoms of new coronary pneumonia in such patients are not obvious, and the treatment is usually not much different
.

For a small number of patients with typical new coronary pneumonia such as CT images, medical staff strictly follow the standards and specifications to carry out treatment
.

In the designated hospitals in Beijing, multidisciplinary experts will be organized for consultation with some elderly patients with underlying diseases
.
After treatment, if the patient's nucleic acid test has turned negative, it will also be gradually shunted from the designated hospital to other hospitals
.

People's Daily (Version 04, 06 December 2022)