Omicron caused more deaths than Delta in US, says report

The Omicron wave is breaking, but deaths have surpassed those from the Delta wave in the United States, The Seattle Times has reported.

Since November 24 last year, when South Africa first reported the Omicron variant to the World Health Organization, the United States has confirmed more than 30,163,600 new infections with more than 154,750 new deaths, the daily reported on Saturday.

By comparison, from August 1 to October 31 in 2021, a similar duration covering the worst of the Delta surge in the United States, the country confirmed 10,917,590 new infections with 132,616 new deaths, it said.

The death toll during the Omicron wave is about 17 per cent higher than that in the equivalent-length Delta period.

The death toll underscored “the country’s continuing vulnerability,” the report said, adding “when the number of infections is as astronomical as 30 million, even a tiny death rate will mean a catastrophic death count.”