Lining up for rapid Covid-19 tests in Paris last week.Credit…Andrea Mantovani for The New York Times

Omicron fuels rapid spread, but data offer hope

Global coronavirus cases are now surging to levels far higher than at any previous point of the pandemic — with an average of nearly 1.5 million new cases every day — but recent data provide some encouraging news.

People infected with the Omicron variant, which appears to have fueled the recent increase, are far less likely to be hospitalized than those infected with the Delta variant, a British study determined. And for those who have been vaccinated, hospitalization with Omicron is even less likely. Boosters are especially effective.

With that data in mind — and in an effort to lessen the load on hospitals without reinstating lockdowns — governments are now redoubling their focus on vaccinations and boosters, which are increasingly seen as the world’s ticket to “living with Covid.”

What’s next: In the U.S., Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, said that hospitalizations were a more important indicator than reported cases of the severity of the Omicron wave.