There are increasing indications that the more contagious omicron variant is milder compared to the delta variant. 

- A lot of data suggests that omicron gives a lower risk of becoming seriously ill, but we do not yet have enough data to say for sure when it comes to unvaccinated, but much points in that direction, says Magnus Gisslén, professor of infectious diseases at Gothenburg university.

In Denmark, omikron now accounts for 90 percent of all positive covid tests.

The Danish infection control authority SSI believes that the risk of being admitted to hospital with covid-19 is halved if you are infected with omicron compared to the delta variant.

Seems to affect the lungs less

There are signs that omicrons affect the upper respiratory tract and lungs to a greater extent than the delta variant does, reports The Guardian.

According to Niklas Arnberg, professor of virology at Umeå University, this is related to infectiousness.

- Viruses generally infect more effectively when they multiply in the upper respiratory tract.

However, the virus can cause more damage when it multiplies in the lower respiratory tract, says Arnberg.

He believes that it is actually good news that omikron seems both more contagious and kinder.

- That we now see the omicron variant, which is much more contagious but also obviously, as it looks in any case, kinder, is a sign that the virus is about to become an endemic virus, instead of a pandemic virus.

A seasonal virus rather than a dangerous pandemic virus.

Omikron can show the way out of the pandemic

The Danish chief epidemiologist Tyra Grove Krause says in Danish P1 that omicrons can even lift us out of the pandemic, and that we hopefully now experience the last pandemic wave.

And the Swedish researchers that SVT has spoken to believe that the Danish chief epidemiologist may be right.

- I share the Danes' thoughts that omikron can be a step on the way out of this pandemic.

Precisely because it seems to be much milder, says Niklas Arnberg.

Magnus Gisslén also believes that omikron can show the way out of the pandemic. 

- It is definitely a possibility.

If omicron infects very many who are vaccinated and therefore have good protection against serious illness, then immunity is further improved and then also protects well against becoming seriously ill from the next variant.

Then you can imagine that it will be the case that most of us get mild infections at regular intervals and only some elderly and vulnerable need vaccination at regular intervals.

However, Magnus Gisslén does not believe that omicron is the last variant we see. 

- I think the probability is very small that it is the last variant that we need to handle.