According to an analysis by scientists who assist Japan's health minister, the case fatality rate of omicron in Japan was around 0.13 percent, based on cumulative excess deaths and the number of infections since January. While this is lower than the 4.25 percent case fatality rate recorded earlier in the outbreak, it is still greater than the 0.006 percent to 0.09 percent seen with seasonal flu, according to the researchers.
It has a two to three times greater chance of spreading than Delta.The earliest proof of Omicron's rapid proliferation came from South Africa, where it quickly rose to supremacy in province after province. Researchers in other nations have been able to catch Omicron earlier in its upswing, and the results are the same: Omicron cases double every two to four days, far faster than Delta cases.
Takaji Wakita, chair of the health ministry's advisory council, said at a conference Wednesday night when the data was presented that more research is needed to establish the impact of the loosening if all restrictions are gone. He explained that the present data was gathered when most of the pandemic controls were still in place.
The study, which hasn't been peer-reviewed or published in a medical journal, has a number of flaws, including variances in data collection methods that make cross-comparisons difficult, according to Wakita.
"There's still a significant difference in mortality," he said, adding that the arrival of omicron has decreased the gap between Covid and influenza.
The omicron-fueled tsunami has forced certain Japanese regions to declare states of quasi-emergency, restricting bar and restaurant activities. Those restrictions are in place until March 6 in 31 of the country's 47 prefectures. According to national broadcaster NHK, some areas, including as Osaka and Kyoto, have requested that they be extended, while others have requested that they be lifted.
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